KINABATANGAN, Oct 3 — A mother and son were swept away and killed in a flash flood at Kampung Bangkulut, Tongod, yesterday night.
Kinabatangan fire station chief Hairi Otuh said a distress call was received at 9.46pm, and five personnel rushed to the village, located about 169km from the station.
He said the 79-year-old woman and her seven-year-old son were attempting to cross a flooded road to reach higher ground when they were swept away by the sudden surge of water.
The Indonesian woman was found at 1.20am on Friday, about 250 metres from where she was last seen, while the Malaysian boy was discovered at 4.02am, some 200 metres downstream.
“The boy slipped from his mother’s grip, while the elderly woman lost her balance while crossing,” Hairi said.
Both bodies were handed over to the police before the operation concluded at 5.04am.
No residents were evacuated as floodwaters had receded, he added.
Meanwhile, an elderly man who was reported missing on Thursday was found dead along a riverbank at Kampung Sogo Narinang in Kota Belud today.
Kota Belud fire station chief Elge Bakuk said they received a distress call at 7.40pm on Thursday and deployed a team to the village, about 20km from the station.
According to initial reports, the victim had left his home for the family farm at around 8am on Thursday. When he failed to return, family members searched for him before lodging a missing person report later that evening.
His body was discovered the next morning at 7.43am along a riverbank in Kampung Sogo Narinang, about 19km from his home.
The body was retrieved from the river and handed over to the police for further action, Elge said, adding that the operation concluded at 8.54am. — The Borneo Post
