Malay flooding kills 6, displaces 20,000

• Tweet

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Severe flooding in Malaysia has killed six people, including five children 15 or younger, and displaced more than 20,000 others, police said.

Most of the fatalities came as children worked or played around swollen waterways in the island nation.

A 6-year-old boy drowned while trying to help his father fix a torn fishing net in Kampung Kederang about 1 a.m. Thursday, The Star of Bernama said.

A 14-year-old died when he slipped into a flooded canal in Kampung Kebor Besar, Manir Wednesday. In Kemaman, two teens ages 14 and 15 drowned while playing near floodwaters.

The government said 9,600 flood relief centers have been opened in the province for residents whose homes are underwater. Residents in some areas were allowed to return home Thursday.