RANAU – A man and his dog – both trapped for 18 hours on a small island off Sg Mokodou in Kg Perancangan, here, following a heavy downpour – managed to escape unscathed after waters from the flooded river receded.
According to the Fire and Rescue Department, 42-year-old Leonard Lawrence and his pet dog managed to wade through the river to safety around 7am this morning when heavy currents had reduced significantly.
Both were initially reported to be trapped on the island, which is high ground in the middle of the river, around 1pm yesterday.
“Yesterday, the Fire and Rescue Department attempted to save the man using a high line, but the strong river currents foiled the attempt.
“We received a distress call around 12.55pm yesterday and deployed a rescue team. We had to postpone the rescue mission around 11pm last night.
“We resumed the mission around 7am today. But we found that Lawrence had already crossed the river when the river current returned to normal,” the department said in a press release issued this morning.
The department added that Lawrence was then sent to the nearby health clinic for treatment.
Heavy downpour over the last two days saw many rural locations in Sabah struck by floods and landslides – a regular occurrence for the state at this time of the year.
While deaths have rarely been reported during the annual monsoon season, at least two people have perished due to drowning at the start of 2022.
A 28-year-old man from Paitan was found dead in a mangrove area in Kuala Penubukan on New Year’s Eve, while a 60-year-old man from Telupid was found dead after being swept away in Sg Lininkung.
Meanwhile, a 26-year-old estate worker remained missing and is believed to have also been swept away by strong currents while trying to cross a road.
Lawrence’s plight came to public attention after state Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun tweeted a photograph of where the former was trapped.
Masidi, who is also Ranau assemblyman, had expressed concern for his constituent’s wellbeing. – The Vibes, January 3, 2022
