Floods: 14 families evacuated, main road collapses in Ranau

KOTA KINABALU: Fourteen families have been evacuated while a main road has collapsed following continuous rain in Sabah's Ranau district.

The damaged road, Jalan Riverside, has been sealed off and road users have to take alternative routes through Jalan Sinarut Baru Togudon Baru to their destinations.

In a statement late Wednesday (Jan 4), the Ranau Public Works Department (JKR) informed the public of the temporary road closure at Jalan Kota Kinabalu-Sandakan, Ranau (Jalan Riverside) at KM109.378.

“The section is closed immediately to all vehicles as the continuous downpour caused a sewer failure and a collapsed road section, endangering motorists,” it read.

State Civil Defence Department information showed that 45 people from 14 have been placed at a temporary shelter at the Ranau police station hall as of 8am on Thursday (Jan 5).

Rescue and evacuation efforts are still ongoing, with more expected to be brought in later as flood waters have yet to recede in many villages.

As of now, the affected villages include Kg Lasing, Kg Libang, Kg Kituntul and Kg Marakau while the roads flooded are along the KK-Ranau stretch, Marakau-Kinapulidan-Kigiuk road, Libang-Marakau road, and the old Kituntul road which experienced a landslip).

The downpour from Wednesday evening also affected neighbouring Kota Marudu, where the Kinabalu Park Serinsim substation was flooded and some of its amenities damaged.

No casualties were reported up to Thursday morning.

The day before, several areas in Kundasang, not far from Ranau, also experienced flooding but no evacuations were reported.