Thousands displaced in Malaysia after torrential rains cause flooding
- Eight of the country’s 16 states and federal territories saw water levels rising to dangerous levels after monsoon rains
- Selangor – Malaysia’s wealthiest and most populous region surrounding the capital Kuala Lumpur – was hardest hit, with at least 4,000 evacuated
More than 66,000 police, army and fire department personnel have been mobilised nationwide to help rescue people stranded by floodwaters and take them to shelters, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told a news conference late on Saturday.
Floods in Malaysia are common during the annual monsoon season between October and March, particularly on the country’s eastern coast. But the downpour that started on Friday morning and continued into Saturday hit worst in the western state of Selangor – Malaysia’s wealthiest and most populous region surrounding the capital Kuala Lumpur.
“It’s a bit chaotic in Selangor right now … in other states, preparations would be made earlier for the monsoon. But in Selangor, this happened almost suddenly,” Ismail Sabri said.
Nearly 4,000 people in the state had been evacuated from their homes, the prime minister added.
More than 29,000 flood victims in eight states and territories were recorded on an official government website, with over 13,000 of them in the central state of Pahang.