JOHOR BARU: The public has been advised to be cautious during the ongoing wet season and avoid places near bodies of water, with 265 people having drowned nationwide so far this year.
Such places include rivers, beaches, mining pools, waterfalls and also sewage ponds.
Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said the victims comprised 233 males and 32 females.
"Most of them were below 40 years old," he said Friday (Nov 29).
He said there have been 108 victims in the last four months alone, 30 of which occurred in October and 27 this month.
Nor Hisham urged parents to always keep tabs on the whereabouts of their children, especially during outings with friends.
On the flood situation, he said it was worsening, with a total of 80,589 evacuees in eight states so far.
"Kelantan remains the worst hit, with more than 50,000 victims followed by Trengganu (18,836) and Kedah (2,829)," he said.
The other states affected include Perlis (456), Negri Sembilan (307), Selangor (117) and Perak (20).
"One district in Sarawak is also affected but no one has been evacuated so far," he added.
He also urged the public to be careful of uprooted trees during heavy rain or storms, noting there had been 258 cases nationwide.
"We also had 19 landslips this month," he added.
