KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Ong Lee Jye, 56, could no longer hide her feelings of relief and deep gratitude having survived the quake which hit Lombok on Sunday (March 17).
Ong, who is wheelchair-bound, following a minor ankle surgery there, will head home to Ipoh after arriving at KLIA2 on Tuesday (March 19).
Recalling the anxious moments, Ong said she was fortunate that she got out of the water 30 minutes earlier just to watch her friends as they took a dip in the Tiu Kelep Senaru Waterfall, north of Lombok.
"At first I felt the tremors, then I saw stones falling accompanied by loud noises. My husband and I ran as fast as we could, not realising that the impact of the small stones had caused injuries to our feet. That 30 minutes saved my life,” said Ong who was with her husband Phang Kim Foo, also 56.
They were on their reunion trip along with 28 former schoolmates from Sekolah Kebangsaan (C) Jementah, Segamat, Johor.
According to the couple, they have not got over the trauma and were still coping with the loss of two very good friends.
Ong and Phang were greeted on arrival from Lombok by four former schoolmates who came from Shah Alam to show support for those who survived the quake.
The earthquake triggered a landslide killing two Malaysians. Four of the seven people injured are still hospitalised while 13 are safe.
All 22 Malaysians were reported to be at Tiu Kelep Senaru Waterfall when a 5.8 magnitude quake rocked East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia at 2.07pm local time. - Bernama
Win a prize this Mother's Day by subscribing to our annual plan now! T&C applies.
