Close to 26,000 people in four Malaysian states have been evacuated from their homes and are seeking shelter because of worsening flood conditions, according to Malaysia’s Department of Social Welfare.

Numbers on the department’s flood information website showed around 25,900 flood victims at 211 relief centres in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Selangor as at 7pm on Dec 26.

People in east coast states Kelantan and Terengganu comprised the bulk of the flood victims, with around 15,400 and 10,100 people, respectively, from nearly 8,000 families at the temporary relief centres.

Kelantan chief of police Zaki Harun said in a statement on Dec 25 that there had been three flood-related cases of child casualties in the state’s districts of Kubang Kerian and Pasir Mas.

He urged the public to be aware of children’s safety and prevent them from playing in the water without supervision.

Roads in many of the state’s districts were closed to motor vehicles.

Datuk Zaki added that young people were discouraged from riding motorcycles to areas affected by the floods.

While rain had stopped in some areas in Kelantan and Terengganu on Dec 26, many rivers were still flagged by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources to be at dangerously high water levels as at 7pm.

The Golok River in Kelantan near the Thai border hit 11.04m, a record high that exceeded the 10.84m recorded during the 2014 floods that led to more than 300,000 people being evacuated nationwide.

According to Malaysia’s meteorological department, the country is deep into the north-east monsoon season, which usually lasts from October to March.

The weather authority warned that heavy rains are likely to persist in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Perak until Dec 27.