Rescue teams are struggling to reach inundated areas of northeast Malaysia as victims accuse the government of being slow to provide help after the country's worst flooding in decades.
Five people have died and more than 120,000 people have been forced to flee their homes with weather forecasters warning of no let-up for the northeastern states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.
The region is regularly hit by flooding during the annual monsoon, but this year's rains have been unusually bad.
Malaysians have vented their anger at Prime Minister Najib Razak after the release of photos which went viral on social media showing him playing golf with US President Barack Obama during the storms.
In response, he cut short his holiday and has arrived in Kelantan to lead the national flood effort. He was expected to meet flood victims.
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has admitted rescuers face challenges with 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," he was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.
Military helicopters and trucks have been seen in Kota Bharu area, which is near the border with southern Thailand, but rescue efforts are being hampered by fast-rising waters and strong currents while roads to hard-hit areas are impassable.
"The severity and scale of the floods had taken the authorities completely by surprise as it was worse than anticipated, overwhelming all disaster management plans and preparations," Lim Kit Siang, veteran opposition MP with the Democratic Action Party said in a statement Saturday.
From the air, parts of Kelantan state capital Kota Bharu resemble a vast, muddy lake, with row after row of rooftops peeking out of the murky waters.
Tempers were frayed among people sheltering at a crowded relief centre just outside Kota Bharu, with fears the situation would worsen as it continued to rain in surrounding areas.
"I am angry with them (the government). We don't care about their politics. We just want the government to do what they should do and help us," 23-year-old Farhana Suhada, who works for a courier service, told AFP.
Holding on tightly to her six-month-old baby, she said: "For breakfast I had three biscuits and tea. There's not enough water and no food at all for my baby. I had to buy my own milk."
Farhana was forced to abandon her home four days ago after flood waters rose quickly almost to neck level.
"I have lost everything," said Suhada, who was among 200 people seeking refuge in a two-storey school.
Share
