SABACIREBON – A large fire hit the floating house residential area in Kampung Bahagia, Sandakan, Negeri Sabah, Malaysia, early Sunday morning. The incident had a wide impact with thousands of residents homeless.
Based on reports from local authorities, the number of affected victims reached at least 9,007 people from around 1,200 residential units. Of this number, nearly 1,000 houses were reported to have suffered damage due to the red rooster’s rampage.
Sandakan District Police Chief, George Abd Rakmanrevealed that his party received the initial report of the fire at around 01.30 local time. Several hours later, the area was immediately designated as a disaster zone to speed up emergency response.
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According to him, the joint forces are currently focusing on collecting data on victims as well as coordinating the evacuation process and distribution of aid to affected residents.
He also emphasized that to date there have been no official reports regarding casualties, although a number of residents were reported to have suffered injuries while trying to save valuables or help others.
Disaster management efforts are carried out in an integrated manner with various agencies, including Malaysian Bomb and Rescue Department (JBPM) who leads operations in the field, as well Malaysian Civil Defense Force.
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Until now, the cause of the fire is still under investigation by the authorities.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahimalso expressed his concern about the disaster. He emphasized that the safety of citizens must be the main priority, followed by accelerating the distribution of basic needs assistance.
The central government, he continued, is coordinating with the Sabah State authorities to ensure that the victims receive temporary shelter and logistical assistance quickly.***
