The death toll from floods and landslides caused by a cyclone in Indonesia rose above 600 on Friday as rescuers struggled to clear roads and improving weather conditions revealed the scale of a disaster that has killed nearly 800 people in southeast Asia.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have suffered major devastation from a rare tropical storm that formed in the Strait of Malacca, bringing torrential rain and gusty winds for a week, hampering efforts to reach people stranded by mudslides and high-altitude floodwaters.

At least 176 people have died in Thailand and three in Malaysia, while the death toll reached 604 in Indonesia today with 464 people missing, according to official figures.

Tragic images in Indonesia

Under sunshine and clear blue skies in the city of Palembang in West Sumatra, Indonesia, hundreds of people cleared mud, fallen tree trunks and debris from the streets as some residents tried to salvage valuable items such as documents and motorbikes from their destroyed homes.

Men in camouflage uniforms cleared a path through wood, concrete and sheet metal as trucks full of people passed by searching for family members and delivering water to people, some of whom were moving slowly through knee-deep mud.

Government recovery efforts include restoring roads, bridges and telecommunications services. More than 28,000 homes have been damaged in Indonesia and 1.5 million people have been affected, according to the disaster management agency.

Often tragic phenomena

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited the three affected areas today and praised the resilience of the residents in the face of what he called the disaster. There are roads that are still blocked, but we are doing everything we can to overcome the difficulties, he said in North Sumatra. We are facing this disaster with strength of soul and solidarity. Our country is strong right now, capable of overcoming it.

The devastation in the three countries comes after months of severe and deadly weather in Southeast Asia, including typhoons that swept through the Philippines and Vietnam and caused frequent and prolonged flooding elsewhere.

Scientists have warned that extreme weather events will become more frequent as a result of global warming.