Northern editions of the New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Harian Metro were still produced regardless of heavy rain, winds and floods which hit the Malaysian island of Penang at the weekend.

The Times reported that the 80,000-copies runs of the three papers was not affected despite floods on roads to the Butterworth print site when water rose to 0.4 metres.

A 17-hour downpour paralysed the George Town area, with three deaths and thousands of people being evacuated.

Both NSTP and rival Star Media - with its Star Northern Hub - have printing facilities on the island, which is connected by bridges to the Malaysian mainland.

The Times quotes its plans manager Y. Cham Nan that a nearby drainage facility had been unable to cope with the water. "However, the printing operation of more than 80,000 copies of all three newspapers under NSTP was not affected," he said.

Floodwater had not subsided by 12.30 pm on Sunday.