SEVERE floods caused by monsoon rains have killed more than 30 people in Malaysia and southern Thailand and displaced tens of thousands, officials said today.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said five days of heavier-than-expected rain that battered his country’s east coast last week was equal to the rainfall over the past six months, wreaking havoc in the north-eastern state of Kelantan and neighbouring Terengganu.

The heavy downpours damaged roads and houses in Kelantan and other parts of Malaysia. Rescue workers used boats to distribute food to victims trapped in their homes.