(UCAN): Severe flooding caused by days of heavy rain has affected several states in Malaysia, forcing more than 80,000 people to evacuate and resulting in four fatalities, officials reported on November 29.
According to the National Disaster Command Centre, a total of 80,589 residents have been evacuated to 467 temporary shelters across seven states this week, with northeastern Kelantan state and neighboring Terengganu being the hardest hit.
A search and rescue team has been deployed to assist with rescue operations in the affected areas, particularly in Kelantan, as stated by the disaster centre.
Four deaths were recorded across Kelantan, Terengganu, and Sarawak, according to disaster officials. Flooding is an annual occurrence in the country primarily due to the northeast monsoon, which brings heavy rain from November to March.
Deputy prime minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, indicated that this year’s floods are “expected to be more severe than in 2014,” when approximately 118,000 people were forced to flee their homes, as reported by the official Bernama news agency.
Thousands of emergency service personnel have been mobilised in flood-prone states, along with rescue boats, four-wheel-drive vehicles, and helicopters, Zahid, who chairs the National Disaster Management Committee, also noted.
