JOHOR BARU: Firemen rescued 37 children and seven teachers who were trapped inside a kindergarten and nursery after flash floods hit the premises along Jalan Muhd Amin here on Wednesday (Sept 30).
The Johor Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call at 3.53pm before a team from the Larkin Fire and Rescue Station arrived at the scene at 4.14pm.
Operation commander Nakish Nekmat said the team found the kindergarten and nursery affected by flash floods upon arrival.
“Thirty-seven children and seven teachers were trapped inside the premises.
“The team immediately carried out a rescue operation using a volunteer boat and transferred all the victims to the surau at Medan Selera Tepian,” he said.
Nakish added all 44 victims were safely evacuated from the premises.
“A total of 10 firefighters were involved in the operation, which used a fire rescue tender and an Emergency Medical Rescue Services vehicle,” he said.
Earlier, several areas around Johor Baru city were hit by flash floods following heavy rain in the afternoon.
Among the affected areas were Jalan Kolam Air in Nong Chik, Jalan Ayer Molek and Jalan Yahya.
The department advised members of the public to remain alert and to avoid flood-affected areas where possible.
