Malaysian floods: More than 160,000 forced to flee their homes

More than 160,000 people have been forced to flee Malaysia’s worst flooding in decades, local media has reported. According to The New Straits Times, the number of people forced to evacuate was up from 100,000 just a day earlier. Rescue teams are struggling to reach the worst-affected areas in the northeast of the country, where at least five people have lost their lives. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has admitted that rescue efforts have been hampered by power outages and roads being washed away by the floods.

I admit the situation is challenging to the rescue workers and we are trying our best to make sure that the food arrives to the victims depending on the flood situation.

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak

Prime Minister Najib Razak travelled to the worst-hit state of Kelatan on Saturday, a day after cutting short his holiday in Hawaii. He also pledged a further 500m ringgit (£91.9m) in support for flood victims, significantly boosting the government’s initial 50 million ringgit offer. However, that has done little to ease public anger over the government’s perceived slow response to the crisis. The Prime Minister became the focus of criticism after pictures emerged of him playing golf in Hawaii with U.S. President Barack Obama during the storms.

World Malaysia