At Least 53 Dead or Missing Due to Heavy Rain in Malaysia

[Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The death and disappearance toll from floods in Malaysia has risen to at least 53 since mid-month.

According to Bernama News Agency and others on the 28th, heavy rain and flooding that have continued since the 17th in eight states of Malaysia have resulted in 48 deaths and 5 missing persons as of the previous day. Selangor, which surrounds the capital Kuala Lumpur, recorded the highest number of deaths with 25 fatalities, followed by Pahang with 20, and Kelantan with 3 deaths.

The heavy rain damage initially caused 70,000 displaced people in Malaysia. Currently, 25,000 people are living in 169 temporary shelters.

Experts pointed out that climate change, including global warming, brought about this heavy rain. In Malaysia, rain is concentrated during the southwest monsoon season from May to September and the northeast monsoon season from October to March.

In previous years, damage was mainly concentrated in eastern Malaysia (Borneo Island) during this period, but this year, heavy rain poured mainly in the western region (Malay Peninsula), which experts consider an unusual situation. In western Malaysia (Malay Peninsula), a month's worth of rainfall fell in a single day, marking the worst flood since 2014.

The Malaysian government has requested $3 million (approximately 3.6 billion KRW) in climate change response funds from the United Nations Green Climate Fund (GCF). The authorities plan to use the funds to strengthen the national climate change response plan, build flood prevention infrastructure, and prepare measures covering agriculture, forestry plans, and food security.

The Malaysian government also stated that heavy rain is expected in several regions this week and that they are preparing for the possibility of a second flood.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.