Kampung Rantau Panjang villagers stranded as piles of logs block main exit

Piles of timber that blocked the main roads and exit of Kampung Rantau Panjang to Bukit Besi here, has stranded more than 1,000 residents from a number of villages for the past three days.

A survey by Bernama today revealed that hundreds of logs had littered the road for about 100m, cutting off the exit road and forcing villagers to be trapped in their respective villages until assistance came in the form of a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) helicopter that brought food supply.

Residents in the villages have also lost telecommunications and electricity services due to floods caused by the overflowing Dungun River in Kuala Jengai.

One of the victims, Nik Mohd Faizal Nik Mohd Fikri, 32, an army personnel who works in Port Dickson said the logs had drifted from a location up the hill, nearby.

"Due to continuous heavy rain for almost a week, logs stored up the hill had drifted downhill and littered the main road," he told Bernama at the location, here today.

He said since the road was blocked, he could not return to work or contact his work place because there was no telecommunication services.

"Not only are our villages flooded, we are also facing the danger posed by huge logs that may continue to drift down from the hill and crash into our houses," he said.

He said the villagers who were evacuated to Sekolah Menengah Kuala Jengai last week, had faced a shortage of food supply and had to ration food for the past three days.