Heavy rain causes flash floods, landslides in Sabah

Flash floods, landslides and subsidence have hit several areas on the West Coast of Sabah this afternoon, following several hours of heavy rain.

A spokesperson for the Sabah branch of the Civil Defence Force when contacted said they were monitoring several areas around Kota Kinabalu and Tuaran affected by flash floods, including Likas, Penampang, Menggatal, Tebobon, Kolombong, Telipok, Rugading and Gayang.

Several roads were also flooded leading to traffic congestion, including Jalan Tuaran Bypass, Jalan Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan Kibabaig Penampang, Jalan Likas, Jalan Menggatal and Jalan Kayu Madang.

“It is still raining in several areas tonight, but not as heavy as earlier today. Road users are advised to be cautious because some roads are still inundated. So far, there has been no report of any untoward incidents,” the spokesperson said.

Sabah Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations Hamsa Isnurdini said they received a report of a landslide incident at the Telipok Settlement Scheme in Tuaran this afternoon because of continuous heavy rain.

The report was received at 3.41pm and they found two non-permanent-type houses destroyed in the incident.

“One house was occupied while the other wasn’t. No one was injured and the operation ended at 5.25pm after we found there was no risk of any danger at the location,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Sabah Public Works Department said that a land subsidence incident was detected in the Telupid area due to heavy rain, causing part of Jalan Kota Kinabalu-Sandakan near Kampung Lumou to be impassable to traffic.

Yesterday, the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) forecast thunderstorms with heavy rain and strong winds to occur in the waters of western Sabah and northern Sarawak for three days from tomorrow.

The situation is predicted to occur following a low-pressure system that is expected to develop in the west of the Philippines and move northwest towards southern China.

- Bernama

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