FIFTEEN Japanese tourists holidaying in Papar, Sabah, were rescued last night after torrential rain cut off the roads to their homestay.

A Malaysian woman was confirmed dead by doctors from Papar Hospital, while another was injured when their vehicle was swept away by strong currents.

A statement issued by the Civil Defence Force today said 15 Japanese tourists and four Malaysians were trapped at a homestay in Kg Lingan Lama in Papar, more than two hours’ drive from Kota Kinabalu.  

“A distress call was received from the Papar police station at 8.23pm to rescue the trapped individuals and it took one hour and twenty minutes to reach the location,” it said in a statement.

“Two roads leading into the location had been inundated by water and could only be passed by heavy machinery.”

A category one strong wind and weather warning has been issued by the Meteorological Department today for many parts of Sabah’s west coast districts, following irregular afternoon rains since last weekend, lasting for about three to four hours each day.  

The downpour caused flash floods in many parts of Kota Kinabalu and Penampang and last Friday, a small bridge collapsed.

Sabah Meteorological Department director Asemi Daud said up to 86.8mm of rainfall was recorded compared with 24.47mm over the same period of last year. – August 14, 2017.