KUALA LUMPUR (Xinhua) -- Severe floods in parts of Malaysia have left 56,159 people homeless in five states, government data showed Tuesday.

According to the official news agency Bernama, the affected areas are along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, where 17,326 people from Kelantan state and 37,792 people from Terengganu state have been evacuated to flood relief centres.

The authorities confirmed five deaths from the floods, including a 15-year-old boy.

River waters exceeded the danger level in many areas of the affected states.

Ahmed Azzam Othman, Director of the Fire Safety Division at the Fire and Rescue Department, said that his team is conducting air monitoring to obtain an accurate picture of the flood situation in Terengganu state, as well as conducting similar air monitoring in Kelantan state.

The states of Pahang, Johor and Perak were also affected, with several hundred residents evacuated.