KOTA KINABALU: A family of four were trapped for hours in their car when they were caught in a flood in Kinabatangan district on Thursday (Jan 30).
The victims were believed on their way out of their village at Kg Paris 2 due to the floods, when they got stuck due to the high water levels around midnight.
Firemen were alerted and only managed to reach them at 2.47am due to logistics and flood constraints.
When firemen finally arrived, they got the victims - a man, a woman and two children, out of the car using ropes and a human chain.
The victims were later taken to a temporary shelter after that.
In another incident, firemen in Kg Kokos Lahad Datu were called to rescue 22 people including two babies trapped in their houses following floods.
The victims comprised a man, 11 women and 10 children were rescued using fire department boats.
Some were sent to relatives' houses spared from the floods and some to temporary relief centres at the nearby Vocational College.
As of 9am, the state Welfare Department said there were over 2,500 displaced victims from 854 families in the total of 19 centres opened in nine districts.