Over 36,000 people displaced by floods in Malaysia

By Pizaro Gozali Idrus

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) - Around 20,000 more people have been evacuated on Thursday due to flooding in several provinces of Malaysia, authorities said.

Pahang, Kelantan, Perak, Johor, and Sabah provinces were inundated by floods since Jan. 1, forcing residents to flee.

“As of today, more than 36,000 people have been evacuated. In Pahang alone, there were at least 24,257 evacuees,” the country's Social Welfare Department said in a statement.

On Wednesday, as many as 16,000 people were evacuated from those affected areas.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department issued a weather warning ahead of heavy rains in Pahang and Johor.

The weather warning was also issued in Kelantan and Terengganu areas.

So far, at least three people have been killed by flooding.

*Writing by Maria Elisa Hospita from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian language service in Jakarta.