KOTA BHARU: The Kelantan police have confirmed that five people have drowned in floods in the state, to date.
Kelantan police chief, Datuk Hasanuddin Hassan said it involved three victims during the first wave of the flood, while the other two cases were during the second wave, which is currently happening now.
He said the victims in the second wave were a 57-year-old man in Jeli while the latest involved a 24-year-old man in Tumpat, yesterday.
‘’To date, all the deaths were due to drowning and were classified as sudden deaths.
‘’Most of the cases occurred when the victims were wading through flood water,’’ he told reporters after the closing of a Motivation Camp for Children of the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) (personnel) at the Kelantan Police Contingent Headquarters, here today.
Hasanuddin also advised residents especially in flood-prone areas to always be careful in the light of the possibility of a third wave of floods taking place.
In the meantime, he said the security forces also faced a complicated situation when some victims refused to evacuate and cited numerous excuses.
‘’Whatever excuses they give it is their right, but if anything out of the ordinary happens, it will make it difficult for them and the rescuers. It is best to evacuate early for safety reasons and don’t act at the last seconds,’’ he said.
Commenting on the policemen assigned to the police stations close to Sungai Golok, he said, to date, only two stations, namely, Rantau Panjang Police Station, in Pasir Mas and the Kuala Jambu Police Station, in Tumpat were flooded.
Although, the stations were under calf-deep water, the police personnel were still functioning and the public could go to the nearest station over any police-related business, he added. - Bernama
