THE authorities have rescued 31 people stranded on Penang Hill since last weekend’s storm using a Fire and Rescue Department helicopter. 

Northeast district police chief Assistant Commissioner Anuar Omar said most of them were visitors who had been trapped on the hill since Saturday. 

Among them were four local residents. 

Another 12 people, including a Filipino and Indonesian, were currently making their way downhill, Anuar said. 

“We received a distress call from people who were visiting the hill for a prayer function on Saturday. 

“They were trapped after the storm caused the funicular train service to be suspended and the jeep track to be closed following landslides on Sunday. 

“Twelve of them were fit enough to get downhill on foot, so our personnel are accompanying them on the journey down. There are no more people stranded up there,” he said. 

The Fire and Rescue Department helicopter took three trips to move the stranded people to the Federal Reserve Unit base in nearby Padang Tembak. 

Upon arrival, the group, which included 10 senior citizens and five children aged 2 to 8, were given medical check-ups and then transferred to the Caring Society Complex. 

A. Usha Rani, 61, who was among those rescued by helicopter, said although the group was stranded, there was no panic as they had shelter at the Bellevue Hotel and food, and could still get in touch with their loved ones. 

Usha Rani said hikers also climbed up the hill to bring them food and medicine. 

“I contacted my husband, who took down the names of the medicines we needed. He then passed them to the hikers. 

“That helped. Otherwise, we would have had less to eat. But food would have eventually run out if we had stayed longer,” she said, adding she was grateful to the authorities for rescuing them. 

Fathima Gopal, 54, said everybody was well taken care of while they were stranded. 

“We had food. There was some power and water supply disruption but only for a while,” she said.

A mother of two, who only wanted to be known as Wong, said all her family members, including her 6-year-old and 9-month-old baby, were doing well. 

She works as a caretaker in one of the bungalows on the hill. 

“There was no panic. I could contact my family members. They all told me they were fine, too,” she said. 

Harresh Chandran, 8, said the view from the hill was nice and that he enjoyed his first helicopter ride. 

The Penang Hill funicular train service has been suspended indefinitely after the storm sent debris and mud onto the railway track on Sunday. 

Penang Hill Corporation general manager Cheok Lay Leng said repair works were under way and that it could take up to three or four weeks to get the train running again. – November 7, 2017.