Flash floods kill five in Malaysia, army deploys to rescue thousands

An aerial view shows a flooded George Town city in Penang, Malaysia, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017. A northern Malaysian state has been paralyzed by a severe storm that led to two deaths and some 2,000 people evacuated in the worst flooding in years, officials say. (AP Photo) (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Flash floods caused by hours of torrential rain killed at least five people in Malaysia and the military deployed on Sunday to help rescue displaced people, Reuters reports.

About 3,000 people had been evacuated and housed in temporary shelters as nearly 80 percent of Penang was hit by typhoon-like winds and heavy rain, its chief minister Lim Guan Eng said in a statement to Reuters.

Floodwaters had reportedly risen 10 to 12 feet and Lim warned on Facebook that more rain was expected.

Troops fanned out in Penang to rescue stranded flood victims and also to clear blocked routes and clean up.

Hundreds of trees were toppled and roads were submerged in Penang’s historic capital of George Town, leaving many areas largely paralyzed. The Malaysian state news agency said five people had been killed due to the floods.

“We remain fearful that there may still be untoward incidents because of the strong winds, the like of which have never been experienced before, and flash floods might recur,” Lim told reporters in Penang earlier on Sunday, according to Bernama.