According to the Kedah Civil Defence Force (APM), 10 houses in the village were affected by the floods as at 8pm, with one temporary shelter opened to victims.

APM spokesman Saifuddin Abdullah said 15 families have been sheltered as at 11pm. The total number of victims is 42. The village, located in Mukim Kupang, suffered flooding in July, September and October.

Several villages in Bukit Gantang, Taiping, also suffered flash floods this evening. A spokesman for Perak fire and rescue services said 50 villagers from Kampung Cheh, Kampung Senduk Hulu, Kampung Bukit Cempedak and Kampung Changkat Ibol were affected.

He said a number of victims opted to seek shelter at the homes of family and friends in neighbouring areas.

In Terengganu, nine university students were trapped by a water surge at a popular picnic spot at Lata Ulu Kekabu in Setiu at 5pm today. A rescue team of policemen and firefighters managed to bring them to safety.

“The victims, aged 23 to 24, were trapped on the other side of the river, at a spot popular for public bathing,” a spokesman said.

The floods in July claimed three lives and caused damage to property estimated at RM28 million after heavy rain brought about a huge water surge through the streams in the valley.

Hydrology expert Chan Ngai Weng of Universiti Sains Malaysia said in August last year that the cause of the water surge lay in human activities, such as forest clearing, construction, agriculture and conversion of virgin forests to built-up areas.

The clearing of forests could be blamed for the rapid water surge since barren land could not hold back rainwater, let alone act as a sponge to absorb excess moisture. The clearing of forests could also cause a river to become shallow, he said.