Thousands homeless in Malaysia flood

More than 4500 people have been evacuated and at least four people drowned in the worst floods in 40 years on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia.

Before Malaysia, the Philippines was ravaged by severe floods

A number of roads in the eastern states of Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang have been closed after being submerged following continuous heavy rainfall during the monsoon season while rail services were partly disrupted by landslides, police said on Sunday.
 
Three people – a 37-year-old man, a three-year-old boy and another aged six, drowned in floods on Saturday. Terengganu police chief Husain Ismail said the body of a 16-year-old boy was found early on Sunday.

Husain said rescuers were still searching for a 30-year-old woman trapped inside a car that was swept away by a river.

Some 4346 people have been evacuated in the state as floods spread to six districts, he said.

Mass evacuation

Hundreds more people were evacuated in the other two states on Sunday, after water levels in 11 rivers in Kelantan breached the danger level, officials said.
 
Most government buildings, including the police headquarters and federal administrative centre, as well as shops in Kelantan had to close as the state capital Kota Baharu remained under one to two metres of water, reports said.

A minister in the prime minister’s department, Mustapha Muhammad, was quoted by Bernama news agency as saying some areas of Kelantan were experiencing the worst floods in 40 years.

He said part of the east-west highway may have to be closed to traffic if the rain persists, but pledged the government would ensure adequate food and other supplies for flood victims moved to make-shift centres in government schools.

Source: AFP