Malaysia floods every year during the monsoon season, from November to February.
Kuala Lumpur:
Malaysia’s worst flood death toll in years has risen to 46th, with five people still missing, officials said, as crews of workers continued their massive cleanup on the day Christmas.
Days of torrential rain caused rivers to overflow last weekend, flooding cities, cutting off main roads and forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes.
Selangor – Malaysia’s most populous and richest state, surrounding the capital Kuala Lumpur – has been one of the hardest hit areas.
Many people in the flood-affected state capital Shah Alam were trapped in their homes with little to no food for days, before being evacuated on boats in a chaotic rescue operation.
Inspector General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said the death toll had risen to 46 as many bodies were recovered, with most of the deaths in the states of Selangor and Pahang.
“There are still five people missing. We hope they will be found soon,” he told a news conference.
He said 54,532 people are still at more than 300 evacuation centers across seven states and 68 roads are still closed due to flooding.
Acryl Sani said crews of workers used high heels and trucks to remove items scattered on the streets outside people’s homes as he called for caution as some rivers were still under water. swelling.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had earlier urged the government to hold a public inquiry after the flood response was widely criticized.
Poor coordination among government agencies and delayed troop deployments have “turned disaster response into a man-managed disaster,” he said.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob acknowledged there were “weaknesses” but pledged to improve in the future.
The Southeast Asian country is hit by floods every year during the monsoon season, from November to February, but the weekend floods are the worst since 2014.
Global warming is associated with increasingly severe flooding. Because the warmer atmosphere contains more water, climate change increases the risk and intensity of flooding caused by extreme rainfall.
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