Family escapes catastrophic mud flood in Sabah

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The mud flood came after daily rains and thunderstorms that hit various parts of the Malaysian state.

PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

KOTA KINABALU - A father carried his toddler while his three other children ran hand in hand as they hurried to escape mud floods that flowed from a hill behind their house, carrying boulders and debris.

Within minutes, their leisurely afternoon hangout session descended into a nightmare, leaving them homeless in Kampung Sarapung, Penampang.

“One moment I was watching television shows with my younger children and the next, we had to run for our lives,” said civil servant Oliver Golingai, 44.

Recalling that stormy day around 3pm on Sept 11, he said he first heard a snap from one of the pipes outside his house.

“I went to check and saw that the main water pipe had broken. I saw that a stream behind my house had grown muddy, and trees were starting to fall,” he said.

“So I called all my children to gather their important documents and belongings because we needed to get out fast,” Mr Golingai said.

However, just as he ended that sentence, he saw mud water flowing into his garage, so he quickly grabbed his two-year-old toddler and screamed for the others, aged 10, 15 and 17, to run to his parents’ house.

As they ran downhill, they saw from afar the hill behind them collapse, bringing with it mud, trees and boulders that crashed into their house.

The next day, Mr Golingai went to check and saw that half the house was submerged by mud and earth,