Two rescued as floods sweep car off road

SARIKEI: Two men experienced a terrifying moment when their car was swept away by strong currents on Jalan Skim B, Meradong in Bintangor, Sarawak.

Bintangor Fire and Rescue station chief Nicholas Belulin said they received an emergency call about the incident at 2.52am yesterday.

“The car was swept away by floodwaters about 50m off the road, but the victims, aged 28 and 32, managed to get out of their vehicle without any injuries,” he said in a statement here, reported Bernama.

He said firemen used a rope to pull the victims, who were travelling to Bintangor, to safety.

In Rompin, police said the main road to Felda Selancar and Perwira Jaya in the district was closed in both directions after a section of the road collapsed due to overflowing water following heavy rain.

The police were informed about the condition of the road near the auxiliary police base at 4am yesterday, according to Rompin district police chief Deputy Supt Mohd Azahari Mukhtar.

Meanwhile, the Rompin Public Works Department said in a statement that the closure of the main road between Felda Selancar and Perwira Jaya was for the safety of road users and that the public can make inquiries at 09-414 5040.

In Kota Kinabalu, 464 people from 166 families were evacuated to two relief centres (PPS) due to the floods in the Kota Marudu and Tongod districts.

The Secretariat for the Sabah Disaster Management Committee, in a statement, said that 377 people from 149 families were evacuated to the PPS at the Kota Marudu community hall.