|
KUALA LUMPUR - FLOODS in Malaysia's north-eastern Kelantan state worsened after a dam burst in southern Thailand as the nationwide death toll rose to 23, reports said on Monday.
Deputy prime minister Najib Razak said water levels at the Golok river, which marks the boundary between Malaysia and Thailand, rose above the danger level of nine metres to 10.51m.
'I was told the broken dam has caused a higher volume of water to enter Golok river and move towards Rantau Panjang and other adjacent areas,' Najib was quoted saying on The Star newspaper's website.
The official Bernama news agency reported that among the latest victims was a six-year-old girl who fell into flood waters while playing in the backyard of her family home in Kelantan.
Heavy rain over the weekend caused other rivers in Kelantan to swell, inundating surrounding towns and villages and cutting off road and rail access in many areas, Mr Ariffin said.
The floods have claimed 25 lives in the past two weeks in Kelantan and two other eastern states that suffer extensive thunderstorms during the monsoon season between November and February, said an official at the Malaysian Control Centre, which coordinates flood operations nationwide.
More than 33,000 people in the three states were sheltering in town halls, schools and community centers on high ground, he said.
Authorities have forecast a high tide phenomenon on Dec 21, which could aggravate floods in coastal areas.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Monday that police and military personnel were on standby to cope with further floods.
Malaysia has increased flood mitigation efforts after one of its worst periods of monsoon flooding last year, in which it suffered estimated losses of 1.2 billion ringgit (S$500 million). -- AP
| 
