TWO people have lost their lives as the monsoon continues to rage, displacing nearly 28,000 people. Both the victims were women and died in Kelantan.

The latest occurred yesterday, when a 70-year-old travelling in a car with her 48-year-old daughter ended up in a drain swollen by floodwaters at Batu 5 of the Machang-Jeli Highway.

Tanah Merah police chief Superintendent Mohd Haki Hasbullah said Siti Gayah Zakaria was travelling with her daughter, Sharmila Ahmad Basyaruddin, when the incident occurred.

He said the daughter survived the incident. “Police received information regarding the missing victim at 4.10am today (yesterday).

“The 70-year-old was discovered by a member of the public at 7.45am, some 120m from the crash site. “She was taken to Tanah Merah Hospital for a post-mortem.”

On Nov 21, a woman identified as Yenni, from Indonesia, was found dead a day after a Toyota Hilux in which she was travelling with two others was swept away by a water surge in Gua Musang.

Her body was found about 1km from where the incident took place. The other two occupants of the vehicle survived.

Up to 6.25pm yesterday, the Welfare Department’s Info Bencana portal listed the number of people evacuated in nine states at 27,980 from 9,762 families.

They are being housed at 208 relief centres. Kelantan continues to be the worst-hit state with 10,982 evacuees. This is followed by Perak (5,005 evacuees), Kedah (4,076), Terengganu (3,060), Selangor (2,496) and Perlis (2,306).

Other places where people have been displaced are Sarawak, Pahang and Kuala Lumpur.

Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohamad said this was only the first surge of the monsoon season.

He said the public must prepare for more surges of heavy rain in the coming months.

Nor Hisham said early monsoon episodes usually hit Kelantan and Terengganu, while Pahang, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak are expected to experience heavier rainfall in December and January.

Malaysia records between four and six heavy rain episodes throughout the monsoon season from November to March.

“This means that once the current rain eases or floods recede, it does not signify the end of the monsoon season.

“It may be a temporary pause before the next wave arrives,” he said.

The peak period is expected between mid-December and January, when the risk of major floods is higher as the ground will be saturated from earlier episodes.