King tide: Elderly man rescued as waves batter his house in KK

KOTA KINABALU: An ailing elderly man was rescued as his wooden stilt house in Kampung Tanjung Aru Baru here was battered by strong waves during the king tide phenomenon early Tuesday (Dec 27).

Civil Defence Force (APM) personnel helped 70-year-old Chong Kai Ki, who lives alone, to be moved to the hospital after they were told that his house was badly damaged by the high tide at around 1am.

ALSO READ: King tide: Hundreds evacuated in Sandakan as their homes get washed away

Kota Kinabalu APM operations chief Safaruddin Rusline said that Chong's house was one of three in the area to be badly damaged by strong waves during the latest high tide phenomenon.

"We immediately took him out of the house," he said, adding that Chong also suffered from a medical condition that limited his mobility.

They contacted family members who could not immediately come to help, so it was decided to move him to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Safaruddin said 12 other residents in the area were evacuated as their houses were also damaged.

ALSO READ: King tide: Another 38 houses collapsed in Sandakan

On Dec 22, two houses collapsed and nine others were damaged at the village where some 270 people were affected.

Coastal villages in Kota Kinabalu were among several districts in Sabah affected by the king tide phenomenon, although the number of people seeking shelter had dropped to 1,589 victims on Tuesday from 1,647 the day before.

According to the state Natural Disaster Committee secretariat, the victims are from 355 families in Pitas, Kota Belud and Sandakan.

It said the situation in Kota Kinabalu was improving and the temporary evacuation centre at Sembulan had been closed after the victims, mainly from Pulau Gaya, were able to return home.

ALSO READ: King tides a normal but potentially disastrous phenomenon

"Pitas continues to record the highest number of high tide victims with 768. Sandakan has registered 686," the secretariat added.

Over 110 wooden stilt houses along the coast have collapsed in Sabah with many more damaged by the high tide phenomenon, coupled with strong waves and bad weather, hit at the end of last week.

In Kota Belud district, 135 people are in relief centres after floods hit their village.