Kuala Lumpur, Dec 20 (CNA) – Floods that wreaked havoc over the weekend have claimed the lives of five men in Selangor and Pahang, local media reported.
Shah Alam police chief Assistant Commissioner Baharudin Mat Taib said three of them were found in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, on Monday (Dec 20).
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Two of them were believed to be locals, while the identity of the third deceased has yet to be determined, Sinar Harian reported.
ACP Baharudin was earlier quoted as saying that a body has been discovered by members of the public near the Alam Idaman condominium in Shah Alam, Selangor, after water levels began to subside at around 7.50pm on Sunday.
“Immediately after being notified of an emergency call involving the body of a man in his 30s, personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene.
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“The deceased is believed to have drowned,” the police chief said, according to Malay Mail.
Bernama reported that the unidentified man was a resident of Residensi Hijauan condominium and the case has been classified as sudden death.
The other fatality happened in Kuantan, Pahang. The body of a 34-year-old man was found in Kampung Cempaka at 7.15am on Monday.
Malay Mail, quoting Bernama Radio, wrote that the man has been identified as Mr Mohd Halmi Nazlan, who was travelling in a car with another man from Kuantan to Pekan.
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His body was found almost a day after he drifted away from the car in the currents and was retrieved by personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department, it added.
The car was found submerged about 100m from the bridge where they lost control of the vehicle, according to Malay Mail.
Meanwhile, eight people have been reported missing in Bentong, Pahang. They were believed to have been swept away by floodwaters.
Pahang Fire and Rescue Department operations deputy director Ismail Abdul Ghani was quoted as saying by Bernama that three people, including a six-year-old, were reported missing in a water surge incident at a chalet, while five others went missing in Telemong.
The heavy downpours that pounded the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia beginning late Friday has been described as a “once in a 100 years” event.
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“The annual rainfall in Kuala Lumpur is 2,400mm and this means (Friday’s) rainfall has exceeded the average rainfall for a month. It is something beyond expectations and only occurs once every 100 years,” Environment and Water Ministry (KASA) secretary-general Zaini Ujang was quoted as saying by Bernama.
The floods have caused thousands of residents to be evacuated, with many trapped in their vehicles and homes.
Across the peninsula, more than 41,000 victims have been evacuated to relief centres as of Sunday, according to Bernama.
The National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) was quoted as saying that seven states and one federal territory were affected by floods, namely Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak and Kuala Lumpur.
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