At least four people have died in Malaysia due to flooding caused by heavy rains in several states across the country and nearly 41,000 have been evacuated, authorities said on Saturday.
Police say at least four people have died since Wednesday, including a man trapped in his car that was swept away by the waves and an elderly couple who drowned.
A 68-year-old woman also drowned near her flooded home after exiting an evacuation center in the town of Segamat in southern Johor state, which borders Singapore.
Nearly 41,000 residents across six states, mostly Johor, were evacuated to schools and community centers where they received water, food and clothing.
Local media and images from social media showed flooded streets, cars submerged, houses flooded and shops barricaded.
Torrential rains continue, slowing relief efforts.
Malaysian Nature Society President Vincent Chow told AFP the floods were “the worst flooding in Johor” since 1969.
He said he received calls for help from villagers who lived 120 kilometers away, but the only way to help them was by air.
In Yong Peng, a city in that state, AFP reporters saw a family moving through their home in knee-high, brownish water, the children using inner tubes as swimming buoys.
Malaysia is facing an unprecedented episode of monsoon rains, the season of which began in November. In 2014, the country’s worst floods forced 118,000 people to flee their homes.
Meenakshi Raman, President of Friends of the Earth Malaysia, said the amount of rainfall is “unusual” at this time of year.
According to her, deforestation and the disappearance of natural areas are responsible for soil erosion and encourage flooding of rivers during heavy rains.
The Malaysian Meteorological Agency has warned that this rain event could last until April.