Seventeen people trapped by floodwaters in Kg Iban Merotai were safely evacuated on Saturday.
Tawau Fire and Rescue Station chief Jemishin Ujin said the victims included 12 adult men, two adult women, two boys, and a girl.
His team received the emergency call at 10.58am and arrived at the location, 35km away, by 11.39am with seven personnel and a fire engine.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});The operation involved support from 20 Merotai Volunteer Firefighters, four police officers, and three Civil Defence Force members.
"All victims were moved to safety using villagers’ boats. The water level is receding, and monitoring continues," Jemishin said.