Malaysian islanders flee floods

Monsoon rains worsened floods in Malaysia’s eastern Sarawak state on Borneo island, forcing more than 7,000 residents to flee.

Terrence Oliver, Sarawak’s police chief of operations, said 7,042 people had been moved to evacuation centres after their homes were flooded over the weekend.

Extensive thunderstorms and flooding are common in eastern Malaysia during the annual monsoon season between November and February.