A MOTORCYCLIST’S decision to wade through floodwaters on his two-wheeler nearly ended up in a tragedy when he and the vehicle were swept away for 7km by strong waters in Mersing, Johor, this morning.
However, the 23-year-old man was successfully rescued by firefighters from the Mersing Fire and Rescue Station (BBP), who prevented him from drifting further away and drowning.
The station’s operations commander Arwan Abdullah said they received a distress call about the incident via the MER999 emergency line at 7.19am today.
Upon receiving the call, ten firefighters were rushed to the location together with a Light Fire Rescue Tender (LFRT) engine and an Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) vehicle.
The man had been swept away at Kilometre 34 of the Jalan Jemaluang-Kota Tinggi road.
“On arrival at the location, there was a 23-year-old adult male victim who was believed to have been swept away while traveling on a flooded road using a motorcycle.
“The victim was found to have been carried away by the strong current and drifted for 7km in a water depth of 1.5m,” Arwan said.
The rescuers threw a lifeline to him and pulled him to a safe spot.
Arwan added that the victim was found safe and uninjured. The operation ended around 8.22am today.
Meanwhile, the overall flood situation in three eastern peninsular states – Pahang, Kelantan and Johor – had significantly improved by last night.
The number of evacuees reduced immensely as only 85 people remained at four temporary flood relief centres compared to 114 people earlier in the afternoon, reported Bernama.
Based on the report issued by the National Disaster Management Agency’s (Nadma) command centre, evacuees in Johor dropped to 25 from 54 in the afternoon. They were housed at a relief centre in Segamat.
In Pahang, number remained at 34. These people were at two relief centres in Maran. The number of evacuees in Kelantan also remained unchanged with 26 people in Pasir Mas.
Meanwhile, a survey by the Irrigation and Drainage Department found that two rivers were at dangerous levels.
The Sg Golok in Pasir Mas, Kelantan, was recorded to show downward trend in its level at 9.21m, but Sg Arau in Arau, Perlis rose to 23.72m.
The report also said that 26 roads were closed due to flooding, damaged bridges and landslide incidents.
Among the affected roads were Jalan Kota Tinggi-Kluang in Kluang, Johor; Jalan Sg Sok-Chucuh Puteri, Kuala Krai in Kelantan; Jalan Raya Timur Barat (JRTB) Kupang-Gerik, Hulu Perak in Perak; and Jalan Temerloh-Jerantut in Pahang. – The Vibes, January 2, 2024
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