By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Malaysia and Indonesia faced more suffering Friday, with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim barring his cabinet members from going on leave after the displacement of over 90,000 people in a growing flood disaster that authorities fear could be the country’s worst in a decade.
Across its maritime border in flood-stricken Indonesia, rescuers recovered two more bodies from a tourist bus hit by a landslide triggered by torrential rains on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, bringing the death toll to nine, officials said.
At least 20 people have died in other landslides and floods in the region this week.
Rescuers found the bodies from the bus, which was covered by trees, mud, and rocks from the landslide on the road from Medan city to Berastagi in North Sumatra province, officials said.
The road is the main route from the regional capital, Medan, to other districts in the area.
The bus was among vehicles cut off by previous landslides along the road since Wednesday morning.
More than 10 people were also injured and were taken to a hospital in Medan city, where Christians had urged for prayers.
‘CONTINUE DUTIES’
Back in Malaysia, “All ministers have been asked to continue their duties and go down to the ground now,” Anwar told reporters.
Three people have died, and 94,778 people have been evacuated to 527 temporary shelters in nine states, with Kelantan and neighboring Terengganu the worst hit, according to the National Disaster Command Centre.
It did not have more details on the deaths.
Floods have been hampering the east coast of peninsular Malaysia during the monsoon period between October and March. Still, officials said this week’s torrential rain led to mass evacuations, mainly in the northeastern state of Kelantan, which borders Thailand.
Indonesia, too, was hard-hit with Fithriyani Tarigan, a Christian, telling Worthy News:
“At least nine people died in my village of Semangat Gunung, which is a one-hour drive from the city of Medan.”
She said it was crucial to “Please pray for my country.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
German authorities were investigating Friday whether a suspected drone bomb discovered near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig Airport was part of a foreign sabotage operation, amid growing concerns over Russia’s hybrid warfare campaign in Europe.
Ukraine faced mounting pressure Friday amid reports that a North Korean missile unit had begun deploying to western Russia and could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence.
Thailand was shaken by gunfire on the outskirts of Bangkok, where a teenage student fatally shot at least five people at a high school shortly after killing his two grandparents in a separate incident, police and government officials said.
A family remains in “deep pain” after a suspect was detained in connection with the killing of a Scottish missionary in Athens, Greece, Worthy News learned Friday.
Russia is forcing children in occupied areas of Ukraine to prepare for war through expanded military training in schools as mounting battlefield losses fuel efforts to replenish its armed forces, rights groups say.
András Baka, a former chief justice of Hungary’s Supreme Court, is due to become the country’s next president after the governing Tisza Party agreed on his nomination.
The European Union remained the world’s fourth-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in June despite its pledge to phase out Russian energy imports by 2027, according to data reviewed by Worthy News.