The situation in the flood-hit areas of the border town Rantau Panjang improved slightly overnight, with 88 of the 494 flood evacuees returning to their homes.

The remaining 406 evacuees are still at two relief centres, at the Rantau Panjang railway station and SK Gual Tinggi, a spokesperson of the Kelantan police flood operations room said today.

He also said that a stretch of the Banggol Kulim Road at Km23 had also been closed to light vehicles, bringing to three the roads which had stretches passable only to heavy vehicles.

The other two roads are Pohon Tanjung-Rantau Panjang (Old Road) at Km10 near Kampung Siram and Rantau Panjang-Panglima Bayu at Km11, he added.

The spokesperson said the level of the Golok River, Rantau Panjang was still above the danger point of nine metres, at 9.88 metres, having dropped from 10.13 metres yesterday.

Seven schools remained closed today because of the floods, SMK Rantau Panjang, SK Rantau Panjang, SK Sri Rantau Panjang 1, SRJKC Kay Boon and SK Lubok Setol in Rantau Panjang and SK Bendang Pak Yong and SK Simpangan in Tumpat.

- Bernama