Firefighters rescued 32 primary school teachers and pupils trapped in waist-high floodwaters after their school, Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Serdang, Seri Kembangan, here was inundated after heavy downpours this evening.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis said 13 women and five men teachers, along with 11 male and three female pupils were rescued by firefighters in four-wheel drive vehicles, with the pupils being evacuated first at 9.35 pm and teachers about half an hour later. The children were reunited with their parents after being rescued, he added.
He said the department received news of the incident at 7.45 pm and police had also assisted in the rescue effort. Floodwaters at the school were receding and everyone was evacuated by 10 pm, he added.
Meanwhile in KEDAH, the number of flood evacuees in Alor Setar, rose once again tonight, with another relief shelter opened at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Suka Menanti in Kota Setar district to house 16 people from six families.
Kedah Civil Defence Force Disaster Management Committee Secretariat division chief Major (PA) Mohd Muaz Mohd Yusof said the total number of evacuees rose to 337 as of 8 pm compared to 292 this afternoon.
He said evacuees in Pendang district rose to 222 people tonight compared to 207 this afternoon, while those in Kota Setar district rose to 77 people tonight compared to 63 this afternoon. Evacuees in Pokok Sena district, however, remained the same at 22 people from eight families.
In MELAKA, Alor Gajah was once again hit by flash floods after experiencing three hours of heavy rain that began around 4.30 pm today.
A Melaka Civil Defence Force spokesman said the downpour caused rivers and drains to overflow in low-lying areas, adding that two relief centres had been opened in Alor Gajah and that those affected were currently being evacuated to the two centres at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Sin Wah and Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Durian Tunggal.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency