KAPIT: Authorities rescued forty-one individuals, including 17 children, who were camping at Ulu Sungai Yong and became stranded due to a flash flood triggered by a headwater phenomenon on Sunday night.
A spokesperson for the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said that firefighters from the Kapit station were deployed to the site following a distress call received around 8.32 pm to aid the stranded victims.
Reports indicated that the victims, comprising nine families on a holiday trip from Bintulu, had arrived at the river near Tr Untang, Jalan Bukit Goram, intending to spend the night on the banks from Saturday.
A change in weather on Sunday led to continuous rain, causing the river water to rise abruptly and resulting in a headwater phenomenon.
Upon arrival, the rescuers confirmed that nine families were stranded on the opposite side of the river.
The rescue team, along with the police and the Civil Defence Force (APM), formulated a plan to install a safety line and utilised a personal line to aid the stranded victims.
Employing a river-crossing technique, rescuers safely guided the victims across the river one at a time.
The rescue operation concluded around 9.55 pm, by which time all individuals had been safely evacuated, and none had sustained injuries.
