Flooding hits airport and several villages in Penang
GEORGE TOWN - Continuous rainfall has caused flash floods in several parts of Malaysia's Penang state, including the arrival hall of the international airport on the island.
The hall was flooded at about 9am on Saturday after water started flowing in from taxi lanes outside.
The main entrance at the lower level of the airport was flooded with ankle-deep water.
Three arriving flights between 8am and 8.50am - from Subang in Selangor, Langkawi and Kuala Namu in North Sumatra - had to be diverted to other airports.
This wasn't the first time that the arrival hall of the airport has been flooded.
A video of the latest incident went viral with netizens expressing their disappointment over the situation.
In the video, airport staff can be seen clearing up the mess caused by the flash flooding.
Rising waters were also seen on the main road leading to the Bayan Lepas industrial area and the airport.
Bayan Lepas state assemblyman Azrul Mahathir Aziz said in a Facebook post that villages affected in his constituency included Kampung Masjid, Kampung Manggis, Kampung Perlis, Kampung Binjai and Kampung Seronok.
The post included photos of flooded houses.
Netizens also shared photos of the floods.
Malaysia's monsoon season usually starts around November and ends around February, but there has been a change in weather patterns due to climate change, with persistent rainfall or long droughts seen in several countries around the world. - THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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