Floods leave scores stranded at highways and malls in Selangor

 

The skies may have started to clear but thousands in the western part of the greater Klang Valley are still reeling from the aftermath of flash floods following sustained rain since Friday.

The floodwater had cut off access on key highways and left people attempting to return to Klang or Shah Alam stranded.

The Shah Alam Toll Plaza on the New Klang Valley Expressway remains closed while its operator PLUS Malaysia Berhad said some 226 stranded victims have been rescued.

"As at 7am, PLUS coordinated efforts to rescue and provide assistance together with the police and the Fire and Rescue Department managed to reach more than 226 victims safely and place them at secure locations along the highway, including at its headquarters, Persada Plus," it said in a statement.

Several main roads to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) have also been closed due to the flash floods, according to the Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd.

Meanwhile, the Fire and Rescue Department was seen trying to rescue people stranded on the Shah Alam portion of the Federal Highway this morning.

Others have been given refuge in malls.

Aeon Mall Shah Alam said some 570 customers were stranded by the flash floods. It added 173 of its staff and 225 tenants were also stranded.

"To ensure their safety, we had set up a place for them to spend the night at Aeon Mall Shah Alam.

"An air-conditioned area of 6,400 sqft was set up on the third floor to accommodate some 200 people.

"Stranded customers also sought shelter at the mall or spent the night in their cars," it said.

The mall added that supplies including food, towel, diapers were also provided.

Meanwhile, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) said it has shut down 333 electricity substations as a safety precaution.

Yesterday, a video was circulated on social media showing an explosion at a substation in Shah Alam due to the floods.

TNB said the shutdown substations include 137 in Pahang, 117 in Selangor, 45 in Kuala Lumpur, 17 in Negeri Sembilan, 10 in Malacca and seven in Kelantan. It said this would affect 17,251 users.

- Mkini