Floods Kills 4 In Malaysia

Crisis Global News Media Info

Editor

March 5, 2023

Rescue efforts are underway in parts of Malaysia after seasonal floods killed at least four people and displaced more than 40,000. Among the deaths confirmed Saturday by state authorities in Johor was a man who became trapped in a car that was swept away by rising floodwaters.Malaysia, like many of its Southeast Asian neighbors, is vulnerable to seasonal floods. Neighboring Singapore has seen heavy torrential rains since February.

Malaysia’s worst floods in decades occurred in 2021, when there were 54 deaths and the army was mobilized. The widespread floods that year hit eight states and strained emergency services across the country, sparking criticism of the government’s response to the disaster. The country’s annual monsoon season started in November and people have been evacuating their homes since at least December.

Johor, population 4 million, is Malaysia’s second most populous state and is the worst hit by this season’s floods. Tens of thousands of its residents have now moved to relief centers in schools and community halls, officials said. Experts from the Malaysian Meteorological Department have warned that the wet weather could continue until April.