KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21 (NNN-BERNAMA) – Eight people have been reported dead, due to severe flooding in Malaysia as of yesterday, authorities in Selangor state, said.
Selangor police chief, Arjunaidi Mohamed said, floods hit various districts in Selangor and claimed eight lives so far.
The number of displaced persons due to the flooding has risen to over 64,000, in seven states plus the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur as of 10:00 p.m. local time last night, according to data from the Malaysian social welfare department.
The worst-hit state is Pahang, along the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia, with over 34,000 people evacuated to relief centres, followed by Selangor state with over 24,000 evacuees.
The flood situation in the capital, Kuala Lumpur eased, due to its flood mitigation facility, known as the SMART Tunnel, the company managing the tunnel said in a statement.
The tunnel, which is designed to capture floodwater before pumping it out via a drainage network, had been activated at around 8:00 p.m. Sunday, with some 4.9 million square metres of floodwater being diverted from the capital, it said.
The country’s meteorological department warned of more rain in the Peninsula, with rain and storms expected in several states today.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, said that, more resources, including personnel and equipment are being deployed to aid with evacuation and flood relief.
“I completely understand the public’s concern about the safety of those stranded by the floods and as I have stressed before, rescue efforts are being intensified and rescue operations are being carried out nonstop,” he said.– NNN-BERNAMA