Malaysia floods force tens of thousands to evacuate

Residents are rescued by a boat from the flood relief centre as the flood water rise and partially submerged the building at Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia December 21, 2022. More than 70000 were forced into relief centres, with numbers rising in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, according to local media. REUTERS/Stringer

Malaysian towns were left inundated with muddy water in the wake of torrential rains, footage shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed on Wednesday, forcing more than 72,000 people to evacuate as rainfall and floods were forecast to persist.

At least two people have died as floods hit five states this week, and authorities have set up hundreds of relief shelters as the number of people displaced grows.