Thousands of people in Malaysia displaced by floods

Malaysia was hit by bouts of bad weather over the weekend (Photo: The Star)

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – About 12,000 people in Malaysia had to evacuate from their homes after heavy rain caused flooding in the country's northern states on weekends, reported local media.

Official data showed that 11,831 people housed in flood relief centres in the northern states of Kelantan and Terengganu as at 4.30pm on February 27.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob wrote in a Facebook post that the authorities were being mobilised to evacuate victims, adding that many of those affected are being rescued and are taken to safer places.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department warned that bad weather is to continue in these states, with heavy rain also expected in much of the peninsula as well as in parts of Borneo island.

A warning was also issued for strong winds and stormy seas, particularly in the East Sea and the northern tip of the Malacca Strait.

Earlier, heavy monsoon rains from mid-December to early January led to some of the country's worst flooding in decades.

About 50 people were killed and 125,000 people were forced to leave their homes, with the authorities recording more than 1.45 billion USD in damage./.

VNA