At least 12 people were killed in landslides in Sabah in Malaysia after heavy rains beat the region of Borneo Island for last week, reports said on Tuesday.
More than 2,000 people living in low areas, especially around the capital, Kota Kinabalu were evacuated due to recent floods, the rescue authorities said.
The worst incident occurred on Monday, when the debris struck an informal dwelling on the outskirts of the capital, killing eight people, including four children, reported the New Straits Times.
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Three others, including a 10 -year -old girl, were killed in another landslide in Gana, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Kota Kinabalu, also on Monday, while a 97 -year -old man was buried by penampang mud last week, outside the city
Heavy showers have struck Sabah on the northeast of Borneo in the last 10 days, flooding the low zones, causing landslides and damage to houses and infrastructure in the poorest state of Malaysia.
Sabah’s low areas are particularly subject to regular floods, especially during the monsoon season from November to March.
Vice-Prime Minister of Malaysia, Ahmad Zahid Amidi, late Monday Monday, mobilized the country’s response agencies in Southeast Asia to help research and save operations in the region.
Read also: The landslide leaves homeless families
The Sabah government canceled Malaysia day celebrations on Tuesday to deal with the disaster.
Although the rains have decreased and flood waters were moving away, the residents said they feared that the showers could worsen the situation.
“All we can do is try to stay calm while we are facing this flood and this mud at home,” Oliver Golingai, 44, told Star Dily Newspaper.
“I don’t have time to think about celebrations (Malaysia Day) because the goal is to face the flood and clean this mud,” he said.
