PETALING JAYA: A toddler and an infant were swept away in a flash flood that struck Sungai Talangkai Karamatoi Ulu, Sabah, on Tuesday (September 24) evening.
Norsifah Asrul, 3, and her three-month-old brother, Muhd Fadli Asrul, were believed to have slipped from their parents’ grasp while preparing for their bath around 5pm, according to New Straits Times.
During the incident, Fadli was dressed in a white shirt and pink shorts, while Norsifah was wearing a white or red dress.
Keningau district police chief Supt Yampil Anak Garai confirmed that the family was inside their living quarters provided for plantation workers, about 20 metres from the father’s workplace by the river. .
Yampil stated that the water levels rose suddenly, overflowing and sweeping away the housing quarters, causing chaos in the area.
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Prior to the flash flood, there had been heavy rainfall. However, the family did not anticipate the flash flood, describing the event as the “first of its kind.”
“In an instant, floodwaters rushed into their home. The father managed to return inside, where the mother was holding the baby, while the father held Norsifah.
Unfortunately, both children slipped from their parents’ grasp after the house was struck by logs that had also been swept away by the flood,” he said.
Search and rescue (SAR) efforts for the infant and toddler are currently underway.
The parents, who sustained injuries after being swept away by the flood, are receiving medical treatment at Keningau Hospital.
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