KUALA BERANG: A total of 160 Form Five students staying in dormitories in two secondary schools here hit by floods were evacuated to a nearby relief centre late this evening.

Terengganu Fire and Rescue Department director Md Hilman Abd Rashid said students from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Imtiaz and Sekolah Menengah Agama Mahmudiah were evacuated to a relief centre at SMK Seri Berang, which has yet to be flooded.

"Floodwaters rose quickly and reached the roof within an hour, so the students were immediately evacuated to a safe location," he said tonight.

The rescue operation involved boats from the Kuala Berang fire and rescue station and the Wakaf Tapai Fire and Rescue Academy Malaysia (FRAM) as well as from non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The 2021 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations scheduled to begin on March 2 and end on March 29 will involved over 401,000 candidates.

The current floods in Hulu Terengganu have been considered as the most serious ever as areas that had previously been unaffected have been flooded this time around.

-- BERNAMA