4 Killed, Over 80,000 Evacuated Due To Heavy Floods In Malaysia

Floodwaters rushing through several states in Malaysia after heavy rains this week forced more than 80,000 people to evacuate and left four dead, officials said Friday.

The National Disaster Command Centre said 80,589 residents were evacuated to 467 temporary shelters in seven states this week, with northeastern Kelantan state and neighbouring Terengganu the worst hit.

A search and rescue team has been mobilised to aid rescue operations in affected states, specifically Kelantan, the disaster centre said in a statement.

Four deaths have been recorded across Kelantan, Terengganu and Sarawak, according to disaster officials. 

Heavy rain, which has already lasted several days, is forecast nationwide until Saturday, a meteorological department spokesperson told AFP.

Floods are an annual phenomenon in the Southeast Asian nation of 34 million people due to the northeast monsoon that brings heavy rain from November to March.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Thursday that the floods were "expected to be more severe than in 2014" -- when about 118,000 people fled their homes -- according to the official Bernama news agency.

Thousands of emergency services personnel have been deployed in flood-prone states along with rescue boats, four-wheel-drive vehicles and helicopters, Zahid, who chairs the National Disaster Management Committee, was also quoted as saying. 

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