The death toll from Malaysia's worst floods in decades has risen to 11, officials said today, and the government has warned of further flooding with more heavy rain forecast.

The latest victim was a 14-year-old boy whose body was found floating in a canal, the official Bernama news agency said.

A five-year-old girl is also missing, after the car her family was travelling in was swept away by strong currents.

Her father survived but the bodies of her mother and three-year-old sister have been retrieved.

The number of people forced to flee their homes and shelter in relief centres in southern Johor state, which has been hardest-hit, rose to 61,352 on Friday from 55,212 the day before, Bernama said.

The government has urged rescuers to brace themselves for another round of the disaster after forecasters perdicted more bad weather for Johor and central Pahang state until Sunday.

"If it doesn't occur, then thank God, but if it does, we must be in a state of readiness so that the necessary operations can be carried out efficiently," deputy premier Najib Abdul Razak said yesterday.

Independent probe

Meanwhile Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang called for an inquiry into disastrous floods which have left at least 11 dead and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

The government has insisted it issued adequate flood warnings, but Lim from DAP said authorities were caught "completely off guard".

"What is particularly galling and unacceptable not only to the flood victims but to all right-thinking Malaysians is the denial complex of cabinet ministers in claiming that early warning systems ... are adequate," he said in a statement.

Lim said the floods highlighted "grave weaknesses in our natural disaster management, preparedness, prevention and mitigation strategy".

He said that an independent probe should be carried out to avert future loss of lives and property.