Four more perish in floods

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- Four more deaths were recorded as a result of the floods that hit several states, this time involving three women and a boy in two separate incidents in Kelantan today.

The first incident that claimed the lives of three sisters was reported to have occurred at the Kampung Bendang Surau near Morak, Tumpat, at about 11.30 am.

Kelantan Police chief Datuk Muhamad Zaki Harun said the victims, Noor Fathiah Mohd Nadzir, 27; Sakinah, 29, and Nurul Syazwani, 33, were said to be wading through the floodwater in front of a house, before being electrocuted to death at the scene.

In a separate incident, a 15-month-old boy was found drowned in Kampung Gual Tok Deh, Rantau Panjang, at about 1 pm.

Rantau Panjang fire station chief Shapawi Stapa said the boy was said to be playing with his elder sister at the porch of their house at the time of the incident.

Yesterday a two-year-old girl became the first casualty of floods in Terengganu in an incident in Kampung Apal.

The victim, Nur Hilwa Idris Mohd Haris Zaifan, who was believed to have fallen into the flood water and swept away by the current, was found floating in a ditch about 20 meters from her house.

In the meantime, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) in a statement today, advised the public not to approach or touch electrical installations that were submerged in flood water for fear of current leakage.

TNB also informed that the electricity supply in flood-affected areas would be temporarily cut off for safety purposes, and that reconnection would be done as soon as it was safe to do so.

The number of flood victims in Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang continued to rise tonight, while there was a slight decrease in Johor and no change in Perak.

-- BERNAMA