KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Seven people have died and more than 90,000 have been displaced during the last week as the country recorded heavy rainfall, officials said Saturday.
There were nearly 74,000 evacuees in public shelters in the southern state of Johor bordering Singapore, 12,650 in neighboring Malacca state, and 5,100 in eastern Pahang state, said an official at the police Internal Security and Public Order Division.
All seven people reported dead were in Johor, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The most rain to fall during a 24-hour period in the last week was 16 inches Monday in Segamat town in central Johor, according to the New Straits Times newspaper.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department said the heavy rains were expected to persist until Sunday, after which weather conditions should improve.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi rushed to visit affected areas in Johor on Saturday on his return from an official visit to Venezuela, the national news agency Bernama reported.
Abdullah promised supplies of food and other necessities to flood victims, and called on authorities to ensure the health of the evacuees at relief centers by inoculating them.