HEAVY rain triggered flash floods across northern Malaysia overnight, leading to dramatic rescues and the evacuation of hundreds of residents as rivers overflowed and village infrastructure collapsed.
In Sik, Kedah, eleven people — including two infants — were rescued after becoming trapped in rising floodwaters in Kampung Merbau Kudung. The incident occurred after a footbridge collapsed, leaving the group stranded and surrounded by large drains.
Assistant Fire Superintendent Mohd Jamil Mat Daud, who heads the Sik Fire and Rescue Station, said the call for assistance was received at 9.28pm.
“All eleven victims consisted of two babies, one child, five adult women and three adult men. They were reported trapped after the bridge in their village gave way, and they were surrounded by large drains.
“Firefighters created a new access path to reach them. They clung to ropes to navigate through floodwaters, which were around one metre deep at the time,” Harian Metro cited him saying when contacted.
Elsewhere in Kedah, a temporary evacuation centre (PPS) was opened in Pokok Sena district late last night, sheltering 200 individuals from 50 families affected by flash floods.
Kedah Civil Defence Force (APM) Deputy Director, Major (PA) Muhammad Suhaimi Mohd Zain, said the multipurpose hall was opened at 11pm after water levels rose following continuous rainfall since the afternoon.
The affected villages included Kampung Sungai Durian, Kampung Temedu, Kampung Pulau Nyor and Taman Puteri, spanning three subdistricts: Gajah Mati, Tualang and Derang.
“The 200 evacuees include 53 adult men, 51 adult women, 37 boys, 35 girls, five elderly men, two elderly women, one disabled man, and four infants,” he said in a statement today.
According to the Info Banjir flood monitoring website, the water level at Sungai Nawa in Kampung Pokok Sena Lama had exceeded the danger mark at 10.47 metres as of 7.15am today, above the 10.39-metre threshold.
Other rivers, including Sungai Muda in Ampang Jajar (Kuala Muda), Sungai Chepir in Titi Pekan (Sik), and Sungai Ketil in Kampung Bongor (Baling), also surpassed warning levels. Meanwhile, Sungai Bata in Kampung Bata (Kubang Pasu) and Sungai Naka in Naka (Padang Terap) remained above alert thresholds.
In Perak, continuous rain caused flooding in parts of Larut, Matang and Selama, leading to the opening of four evacuation centres in Taiping. As of last night, 202 people from 65 families had been relocated.
According to a statement from the Perak State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN), evacuation centres were activated at Dewan Serbaguna Taman Kaya, SK Simpang, and SK Matang at 8.30pm, with SK Matang Gelugor opening later at 10.30pm.
As of 6am, 31 victims from 14 families were housed at Dewan Serbaguna Taman Kaya, which is serving residents from Taman Pengkalan Makmur, Taman Pengkalan Setia and Kampung Sentosa.
Another 106 people from 34 families were relocated to SK Simpang, covering residents from Taman Mawar and Taman Simpang Makmur, while 19 individuals from four families were moved to SK Matang, covering Kampung Matang Jambu and Kampung Telok Kertang. - October 4, 2025
