More than 30,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in Malaysia as the country battled some of its worst floodings in years.
The tropical Southeast Asian nation often sees stormy monsoon seasons at the end of the year, with seasonal flooding regularly causing mass evacuations. Heavy downpours since Friday have caused rivers to overflow, submerging many urban areas and cutting off major roads, stranding thousands of motorists.
More than 30,000 displaced people across eight states and territories were recorded on an official government website, with more than 14,000 of them in the central state of Pahang.
Nearly 10,000 people fled their homes in Selangor – the country’s richest state which surrounds the capital, Kuala Lumpur – with the prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, expressing surprise at the severe flooding there.
“In Selangor, the situation happened as if by surprise because the monsoon season... rarely has floods occurring in Selangor,” he said in a late-night Saturday press conference.
While the rainy weather has slowed in some areas, the Meteorological Department warned that the downpour was expected to continue in parts of Pahang. A government website also showed water exceeding dangerous levels in six central and northeastern states.
Malaysia’s worst flooding in decades took place in 2014, forcing about 118,000 people to flee their homes.
The tropical Southeast Asian nation often sees stormy monsoon seasons at the end of the year, with seasonal flooding regularly causing mass evacuations. Heavy downpours since Friday have caused rivers to overflow, submerging many urban areas and cutting off major roads, stranding thousands of motorists.
More than 30,000 displaced people across eight states and territories were recorded on an official government website, with more than 14,000 of them in the central state of Pahang.
Nearly 10,000 people fled their homes in Selangor – the country’s richest state which surrounds the capital, Kuala Lumpur – with the prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, expressing surprise at the severe flooding there.
“In Selangor, the situation happened as if by surprise because the monsoon season... rarely has floods occurring in Selangor,” he said in a late-night Saturday press conference.
While the rainy weather has slowed in some areas, the Meteorological Department warned that the downpour was expected to continue in parts of Pahang. A government website also showed water exceeding dangerous levels in six central and northeastern states.
Malaysia’s worst flooding in decades took place in 2014, forcing about 118,000 people to flee their homes.
