KUANTAN: Heavy rain caused 15 business premises and five houses in Bukit Tinggi and Janda Baik in Bentong, to be hit by a water surge yesterday evening.

Bentong district Civil Defence Force (APM) officer Lt (PA) Azizah Husain said information was received that the incident in Bukit Tinggi occurred at about 6 pm, following a heavy downpour in Janda Baik about an hour earlier.

"The incident occurred for about an hour, and residents started cleaning their business premises and houses which were filled with mud brought by the water surge at about 7 pm," he said when contacted here yesterday.

Personnel from the APM, police, fire brigade and the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) also assisted with the cleanup work, she said, adding that no relief centres had to be opened.

Meanwhile, the Bentong Public Works Department (JKR) informed via its social media feed that the FT68 route along the old Kuala Lumpur-Bentong road near the Janda Baik junction was temporarily closed to all vehicles due to a 100-metre-long landslide.

It said road users could use the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway as an alternative.

-- BERNAMA