Heavy Rain Cuts Off Roads In Three Sabah Districts

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Flooding in several roads in Beaufort and Sipitang have led to fears of shortages of essential supplies. (Bernama pic)
KOTA KINABALU: Continuous heavy rain over the past few days has caused flooding and landslides, cutting off several roads in the Beaufort, Tenom, and Keningau districts today.
The Sabah public works department said a second landslide on the Keningau-Kimanis road had made the road impassable in the Crocker Range national park area, with road clearance still being carried out at the earlier site at Km151.
The Keningau-Kimanis road has been closed to traffic since March 4 because of soil movement along the route.
Floods in the Tenom district have resulted in Jalan Mesej Kelanyaan being closed after the river overflowed. Three roads in the Beaufort district were also badly affected by floods.
An office worker from Keningau, Razali Sipaun, 52, said he was unable to return to Kota Kinabalu for work after visiting his hometown for a feast.
“The alternative route is too far and risky in this weather. Some stretches are down to a single lane due to a collapsed slope, so the best option for now is to take emergency leave,” he said.
He expressed regret over some road users who moved barriers on closed roads and insisted on passing, as seen in viral social media posts.
Sundry shop owner Juidah Ontok from Sipitang said she was having difficulty travelling to Beaufort for her supplies due to flooding on several roads in both districts.
“So far, essential goods are still available, but I am worried as the road to Kota Kinabalu has also been affected by floods and landslides. If the rain continues, I fear there will be shortage, which will make it difficult for residents to get supplies,” she said.
Flood evacuations rise sharply in Sabah
More than 1,000 people were evacuated to relief centres in Sabah today, with two new centres opened in Beaufort, and another in Sook.
A total of 2,785 people were housed at relief centres at 4pm compared to 1,748 this morning.
In Sarawak, the number of evacuees at three relief centres in Trusan rose to 174 people at 3pm while in Limbang, there were 173 people at relief centres.
Sarawak deputy premier Awang Tengah Ali Hasan visited the three centres and distributed food packs to the evacuees there. - FMT

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