Clean-up begins in Malaysia towns hit by six months of rain in five days

Residents in the Malaysian town of Tumpat were returning to submerged homes and shops as floodwaters began to ease after being inundated by more than a metre of rain in a matter of days, but there were forecasts of more rain to come.

Peninsular Malaysia, particularly its northeastern coast, and southern Thailand have been battered by torrential rain which fuelled floods that killed dozens of people, and damaged homes, transport links and thousands of acres of rice crops.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the rain was far beyond expectations, with some east coast areas getting more than six months' worth of rainfall between November 26 and 30.

Tumpat and Tanah Merah, towns in Kelantan state close to the Thai border, had about 45.9 inches of rain, while Besut town in Terengganu state received 69.3 inches, Anwar told parliament.

"That's a very high record of rainfall... it's far beyond expectations," he said.

Some Tumpat residents have begun returning to submerged homes and shops as floodwaters receded, though authorities remain on guard for a second wave of floods this week.

Many residents found their homes had collapsed, with parts of walls, roofs and broken furniture lying scattered in pools of water.

Muhamad Alim, a 56-year-old shopkeeper whose food store was inundated, recalled fast-rising waters in his home and his grandchildren crying as the flood surged on Saturday night.