Several areas in the capital were hit by flash floods this afternoon following a heavy downpour lasting more than four hours.

In addition to the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in Jalan Semarak which was knee-high in flood waters, the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) near the National Zoo was also inaccessible to light vehicles to-and-fro after it was flooded in 0.6 metres of water.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director Mohd Sani Harul said due to the heavy downpour, the water level at several rivers in the Klang Valley rose to dangerous levels.

They included Sungai Kelang and Sungai Gisir in Selangor which overflowed, flooding the nearby residential areas, he said.

"Ten houses were affected by rivers overflowing in the area but no one has been evacuated so far.

"The water from Sungai Gisir swiftly flowed into the Sungai Kelang and overflowed. The left bank of the river near the school is lower than the right side, thus causing water to overflow," said Mohd Sani when contacted here today.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department operations centre head, Samsol Maarif Saibani said the heavy rainfall this evening also resulted in water stagnation in several areas of the capital.

"The areas affected are Jalan Sentul, Batu Muda Tambahan and Persiaran Ampang Hilir," he said.

Meanwhile, several Bernama staff at Wisma Bernama off Jalan Tun Razak here panicked when the nearby Sungai Bunus was on the verge of overflowing its banks.

The staff rushed down the building to move their vehicles parked near the river to safer ground.

A Pulapol staff, Fazril Aznil, 24, said water had entered some religious classrooms at the police training centre, damaging equipment and furniture.

By 6pm, the water had begun receding, he said. -- Bernama