A total of 123 students, 49 teachers and seven facilitators from SMK Bonggor and SK Seri Perdana were evacuated after their campsite in Siong, here, was hit by flash floods.
The deluge, resulted from continuous heavy rainfall for over two hours, also affected residents from nearby Kampung Siput, Kampung Batu 8, Kampung Batu 60, Kampung Kuala Kedua and Kampung Memali.
Baling Civil Defence Force officer Mohd Faizol Ab Aziz said: “The agency promptly dispatched 22 personnel to the affected areas after receiving flood reports at 5.30pm.
“Continuous heavy rainfall caused the nearby river to overflow leading to several homes being inundated,” he said in a statement.
Mohd Faisol said two temporary flood relief centres – SK Seri Bayu and SK Siong – have been activated to provide shelter to the flood victims.
“A total of 53 students from SMK Bonggor, accompanied by 20 teachers and seven facilitators, as well as 70 students from SK Seri Perdana with 29 accompanying teachers, have been relocated to ensure their safety.
“We have not confirmed the number of flood victims from the five affected villages in Siong as rescue operations are still ongoing,” he added.
Mohd Faisol also cautioned that water level of the Baling river has reached a ‘caution’ stage, especially given the persistent rainfall in areas around the Baling district.