A DISTRAUGHT and desperate man in Sibu, Sarawak called the only people he knew could “rescue” his family after they were dumped by the roadside in the middle of nowhere by a bus driver as they cannot pay.

At 3.30pm and with no possibility of walking home, the man called 999 and claimed he needed help as rising floodwater is threatening his house.

Two firemen from the Sungai Merah fire station were despatched to provide assistance.

However, when they reached the given address – the Sibu-Bintulu roundabout on the Pan Borneo highway – they found there was no flood but the caller’s wife, his child and father-in-law stranded by the roadside.

The State Fire Service Department said the caller needed help send his stranded family to their Rumah Edward Chendang longhouse some 34km from the roundabout where they were found.

The firemen then chalked up the missions as “special humanitarian assistance in conjunction with Gawai Dayak” and gave them a ride home.

The family arrived around 5pm, just in time for Gawai eve celebrations. – May 31, 2017.