Man dies after vehicle swept away by floodwaters in Tawau

Man dies after vehicle swept away by floodwaters in Tawau

TAWAU: One man died while three others survived after they were swept away by floodwaters in an incident here.

District Fire and Rescue Station chief Fire Superintendent Jemishin Ujin said the department received an emergency call regarding the incident at 9.34pm.

He said the incident occurred when a four-wheel-drive vehicle transporting two motorcycles was believed to have attempted to cross a flooded road before being swept away by strong currents.

“Two men were inside the four-wheel-drive vehicle, while two others were motorcyclists riding pillion on the pickup truck.

“Three victims managed to save themselves, while another male victim, believed to be in his 30s, was reported missing,” he said in a statement today.

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Jemishin said the two men, aged 27 and 23, who were in the four-wheel-drive vehicle, as well as one male motorcyclist, were confirmed safe.

According to him, a team of eight firefighters from Tawau Fire and Rescue Station, assisted by members of the Merotai and Umas Volunteer Fire Brigades, was dispatched to the scene, located about 45km away, and arrived at 10.47pm.

He said search and rescue operations were conducted using surface search methods along the riverbanks within a radius of about 1km from the location where the victim was believed to have been swept away.

“The victim was found at 7.15am today by a plantation worker about 800m from the incident site and was confirmed dead.

“The body was recovered by the fire and rescue team and handed over to the police for further action,” he said, adding that the search and rescue operation was fully concluded at 8.44am.