KOTA KINABALU, Feb 24 — The number of flood evacuees in Sabah sheltering at temporary relief centres in three affected districts increased to 5,093 people as of 12 noon today, compared with 5,017 recorded at 8am earlier.

The Sabah Disaster Management Secretariat, in a statement, said the figure showed a slight increase in the number of evacuees at the relief centres, involving the district of Pitas, where 2,777 victims are currently housed, up from 2,701 this morning.

“The number of evacuees in Paitan remains unchanged at 2,071, while Tawau recorded 245 evacuees,” it said, adding that 86 villages have been affected by the floods.

Several relief centres in Paitan are expected to be closed this afternoon as flood conditions continue to improve.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department has forecast thunderstorms in several interior areas of Sabah this morning, afternoon and evening. — Bernama