KUALA LUMPUR - FLOODS in central and northern Malaysia have triggered the evacuation of more than 5,000 people, and forced tens of thousands of children to miss the first day of school, state media said on Monday.

In central Pahang state, which is worst affected, the number of evacuees rose to 3,776 despite floodwaters receding in some districts, police told the official Bernama news agency.

In northern Kelantan, the number of displaced rose to 783 and several major roads were under water and closed to traffic.

Some 30,000 students in the state were unable to get to their schools for the first day of the academic year.

'The Kelantan education department ordered all schools affected by the floods to close to prevent any mishaps,' State Education Department director Mohd Ghazali Abdul Rahman told The Star newspaper.

A state flood operations room spokesman said Jalan Kota Baharu-Pantai Cahaya Bulan was under 0.35m of water and was still closed to light vehicles while Jalan Gua Musang-Lojing was closed to all traffic following a landslide.

Only two rivers - Sungai Kelantan in Kusial and Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang - were at the danger level while five were at the alert level and one registered normal reading.

In Terengganu, the floods in Kemaman worsened. A Terengganu Security Council spokesman said the number of flood evacuees rose to 445 on Monday morning.

A total of 11 flood relief centres had been opened in Kemaman and one in Setiu, he added. -- AFP, BERNAMA