Vehicles left stranded in Malaysia floodwaters

More than 66,000 personnel from the police, army and fire department have been mobilized nationwide to help rescue people stranded by flood waters and take them to shelters, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told a news conference late on Saturday.

Floods in Malaysia are common during the annual monsoon season between October and March, particularly on the country's eastern coast. But the downpour that started on Friday and continued into Saturday hit worst in the western state of Selangor - Malaysia's wealthiest and most populous region surrounding the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Authorities at Port Klang, the country's largest harbor, said shipping operations were severely disrupted by the floods. Dozens of highways and roads were also closed.

The Meteorological Department warned that heavy rain in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and several states would continue until Sunday.