Malaysia warns tourists about drowning as deaths rise this rainy season

JOHOR BAHRU - Those going on tours or relaxing around bodies of water have been urged to be cautious during this rainy season as the number of drowning cases is on the rise, especially with 19 mishaps recorded in November alone.

Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said heavy rainfall upstream could cause the river downstream to surge and swell within minutes.

He said this was what happened to 40 people, including 21 children, who were on a visit to a popular cave area in Kampung Gua Ikan in Dabong, Kelantan, on Nov 21.

“They were trapped for more than one hour after the water level rose rapidly within minutes.

“When they entered, it was just ankle-deep but it swelled to almost waist level,” he said, adding that all victims were rescued.

Mr Nor Hisham said that in 2024 alone, there were 258 drowning cases nationwide with 32 of the victims being women.

Rivers and beaches continue to be top drowning spots. People need to be careful when heading to such places,” he said.

“Drowning cases have been increasing since August with many of the victims below 40 years old.”

Mr Nor Hisham urged parents to always keep tabs on the whereabouts of their children, especially during outings with friends.

Asked about the operations during floods, he said the department had identified and was keeping tabs on 4,619 flood-prone areas nationwide.

Mr Nor Hisham said so far, there were about 95 flood victims in Perak and Terengganu who were housed in relief centres.

He also urged the public to be careful of the trees uprooting during heavy rain or storms as each day, there were at least 15 such cases nationwide.

“Most of these cases are happening in Perak, Selangor and Johor,” he said when contacted.

Elaborating on the rescue operation in Kelantan on Nov 21, Dabong Fire and Rescue Department operations commander Mohd Aiman Aminuddin said the 40 people were on a day trip from Terengganu via train.

“This place was part of their tour and when they arrived, everything looked calm,” he said, adding that within minutes, the water level rose.

Mr Mohd Aiman said they received a distress call from a member of the public at 3.24pm and rescuers reached the location six minutes later.

“We deployed seven personnel to the scene. The team used a boat to evacuate the victims and the rescue operation was completed by 5.13pm,” he said.