Rescuers step up recovery operations as Southeast Asia flood deaths reach 129

The death toll from floods across large swathes of Southeast Asia rose to at least 129 on Friday, with authorities in the region working to rescue stranded citizens, restore power and communications and coordinate recovery efforts as the waters began to recede.

Large parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have been stricken by cyclone-fuelled torrential rain for a week, with a rare tropical storm forming in the Malacca Strait.

On badly hit Sumatra in Indonesia, 72 people had been confirmed dead by Friday morning, said Abdul Muhari, spokesman for Indonesia's national disaster mitigation agency.

Communications remained down in some parts of the island, and authorities were working to restore power and clear roads that have been blocked by landslide debris, he said.

Indonesia will continue to airlift aid and rescue personnel into stricken areas on Friday, he added.

Thai authorities said the bodies of at least 55 people killed by floods were found in the southern province of Songkhla.

In the city of Hat Yai in Songkhla, the rain had finally stopped on Friday, but residents were still ankle-deep in flood waters and many remained without electricity as they assessed the damage done to their property over the last week. One said he had "lost everything".

In Malaysia, where two people have been confirmed dead, tropical storm Senyar made landfall at around midnight and has since weakened. Meteorological authorities are still bracing themselves for heavy rain and winds, and warned that rough seas could pose risks for small boats.

A total of 30,000 evacuees remain in shelters, down from more than 34,000 on Thursday.

Malaysia's foreign ministry said on Friday that it had already evacuated 1,459 Malaysian nationals stranded in more than 25 flood-hit hotels in neighbouring Thailand, adding that it would work to rescue the remaining 300 still caught up in flood zones.