Flash floods during a Deepavali picnic in Malaysia have killed a man and left seven others missing, as authorities evacuated hundreds from flood-prone areas in Selangor and Perak states amid a strengthening monsoon season.
The shifting monsoon winds also triggered a surge in thunderstorms across the country, helping clear out a months-long curtain of transboundary haze.
Local officials said they found the body of the victim, identified as V. Vijayan, at around 1.30am on Tuesday at a bridge about 2.7km (1.6 miles) from the Sungai Pertak picnic site in Selangor. He was believed to have gathered there with a group a day before to celebrate the festival also known as Diwali.