Malaysia dispatches army to flood-hit northern state of Penang

Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-05 15:37:34|Editor: Yurou
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KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Malaysian government has mobilized its Armed Forces to engage in the rescue work in the northern state of Penang, where heavy downpour reportedly left two dead and forced the evacuation of over 2,000 people.

More than 100 members of the Malaysian Armed Forces have been ordered to help the flood victims in Penang, as well as more than 20 military vehicles and boats, Malaysian defense minister Hishammuddin Hussein said in a series of Twitter posts on Sunday morning.

Pictures showed that the military personnel were helping clearing roads blocked by fallen trees and carrying trapped people to safe areas.

The state news agency Bernama reported that the mobilization of the military was in response to a request for help from the chief minister of Penang Lim Guan Eng. Pictures and video clips posted on social media showed that some low-lying areas in downtown Penang have been flooded, with water levels reaching half meter level in some areas.

It is reported that two people have been reported dead due to the floods, one of them a 75-year-old man who was found drowned in his house. The Malaysian Meteorological Department warned in a Facebook statement that bad weather may continue.

Since the start of the monsoon season, several Malaysian states have been battered by heavy rain. The Penang authorities also attributed a land slide in late October, which caused at least 11 deaths, to heavy downpour.

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