Among the dead are an elderly couple who drowned and a man whose car was swept away by the waters.
According to the environmental organization Malaysian Nature Society, the floods are the worst to hit the state of Johor, located just north of Singapore, since 1969.
– Now the weather is unpredictable. Climate change has outsmarted the meteorologists, says the organization’s CEO Vincent Chow.
The Malaysian branch of Friends of the Earth states that the floods are due to deforestation and the increasing lack of green areas in the country.
In several cities, soldiers in rubber boats have been sent out to rescue residents stranded on rooftops. According to local media, homes, cars, roads and entire villages are under water.
The rescue efforts have been made more difficult by continued downpours.