JOHOR BARU • Flooding has worsened in Johor, with the southern Malaysian state recording its first death yesterday, while some 1,780 people have been relocated to 28 temporary relief centres.
State Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan said that as at 8pm yesterday, 28 temporary relief centres had been opened in Johor Baru, Kluang, Kota Tinggi, Kulai and Batu Pahat.
"There are 698 victims in Kluang, Johor Baru with 690 victims, Kota Tinggi (286), Kulai (99) and Batu Pahat (23)," he said.
Pictures in Malaysian media showed flooded village roads and stranded cars in several places in Johor, while others showed people wading in knee-deep water outside their villages, during the ongoing monsoon season.
Johor recorded one death due to the floods at a village in Kluang town. A Kluang Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the victim was a 59-year-old woman who drowned after falling into a 1m-deep drain in Kampung Contoh.
Part of the Jalan Pengerang-Kota Tinggi road has been temporarily closed after it was inundated.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department has issued a red alert warning of continuous heavy rainfall in Kulai, Johor Baru and Kota Tinggi.
It also issued a warning of continuous rain in many areas in Segamat, Batu Pahat, Kluang, Mersing, Pontian, Tangkak and Muar.
The department yesterday warned of heavy rain in five of the country's 13 states - Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor and Sabah. These states face the South China Sea, which experiences heavy rainfall and strong waves during the monsoon season.
THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
