IPOH: Videos of Taiping residents scrambling to safety after floods hit their residential area have gripped social media, depicting the fear and chaos of the moment.
In a 19-second clip, a woman’s trembling voice is heard saying: "Read a prayer, please… it’s here already!" as floodwaters rose to waist level.
Sounds of sobbing and shouts of "Allahuakbar" (God is great) echo through the pouring rain behind her.
A man in the same video is heard lamenting the loss of his home and fearing for his child’s safety.
"My house is gone… my poor child… I’m so scared for my child… Allahuakbar," he cries.
Photos shared online show a man lifting a baby high above the floodwaters as he wades through the strong current with his family.
Other residents are seen climbing onto car roofs, waiting for help to arrive.
The heartbreaking scenes have prompted an outpouring of sympathy and prayers from social media users since the floods hit on Thursday (Oct 23), urging those affected to evacuate to safer areas.
The floods were believed to have been triggered by continuous heavy rain, which caused water from nearby drains and rivers to overflow into residential areas.
Teams from the Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Defence Force have since launched evacuation and monitoring operations to ensure the residents' safety.
According to the Perak disaster management committee, six temporary relief centres were opened in Simpang Halt, Sungai Baru Trong, Dewan Perdana Trong, Masjid Al Wusta Batu 8, Masjid Ali Rouse and SK Simpang.
The number of victims is still being tallied as evacuations continue.
In Manjung district, the relief centre at Sekolah Sungai Batu in Pantai Remis is sheltering 180 victims from 44 families after their homes in Kampung Sungai Batu and Kampung Nelayan were flooded.
