"It was terrifying... the flood waters rose rapidly," Saadiah Ismail, 80, moaned after she was forced to evacuate late yesterday evening.

Saadiah, who is a native of Kampung Pasir Simpul in Hulu Terengganu, said the village had never experienced such a flood as waters had never risen that high before.

"I couldn't help crying when I had to leave my house. It was so sad.

"God alone knows how frightening it was for me and my husband to brave through the chest-high torrential waters," she told Bernama in Kuala Berang.

Saadiah said water from the swollen Sungai Telemong also flowed to nearby village areas which had never been affected by floods before.

"There was no time for me to salvage anything as everything happened so fast... there was no time for a sip of water even, because we had to escape fast.

"Today the rain is not so heavy but water is rising sharply... maybe it is water from upstream," she said.

"Right after my magrib prayers I rushed to the mosque to seek shelter... but the mosque was also flooded. Luckily the army came to evacuate us to a neighbouring village," she added.

Hamzah Abdullah, 73, who had been living in the village all this while, said the incident reminded him of the devastating floods in 1986.

"The 1986 floods was severe... but this time it was worse... we just didn't know where to seek refuge as the mosque was also flooded."

"The water was fast flowing. It wasn't the river water as the water was red and murky," he said.

Abdullah said the water which overflowed around 8pm gushed into the mosque area forcing everyone there to flee.

"I have never seen anything like this. It was such a commotion... fortunately the army came just in time to evacuate us to Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Ping. The school is inundated but we are in a high building.

"Before this we only watch this happening over television... tonight we are the victims. Alhamdulillah the situation is not as bad as in Kelantan," he said.

Meanwhile, the 512th Territorial Army Regiment, Padang Midin Camp operations officer Major Mohd Saberi Md Noor said 30 staff members and two officers were deployed for the rescue operation in the district.

"We have also mobilised two 7-ton and two 3-ton military trucks in this area.

"Thankfully the rescue of the victims among them the elderly, children and pregnant women, went on smoothly," he said.

- Bernama