Rains in the east coast are expected to worsen over the weekend as the death toll from floods rose to 14, even as thousands of people began to return home.

The latest victim in the seasonal floods was a 72-year-old man in Kelantan who fell into rising flood waters on his way to morning prayers, the state news agency Bernama reported.

A Meteorological Department spokesman told AFP heavy rains are expected in Pahang and Kelantan, raising the alert level there to its highest red setting.

"It's the monsoon season and it is too difficult to say when the downpour will completely stop," said the official, who did not want to be identified.

Four rivers at dangerous level

The number of people still in relief centres nationwide dropped to 28,179 from 33,000 a day earlier, according to Bernama .

State authorities warned that water levels in four main rivers were at a dangerous level, it reported.

However, it said thousands in Johor were able to go home as flood waters there began to recede.

Last December, major floods in Johor left more than 110,000 people displaced in a disaster that caused at least RM1.5 billion in damages.