Floods: I did not expect to find a baby, says rescuer

IPOH: A policeman did not expect that he would find an infant during the search and rescue (SAR) operation for flood victims in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, Selangor recently.

Sergeant Awang Abdullah Sani Awang Alehan, 42, from the General Operations Force (GOF) in Hulu Kinta here said the four-month-old baby girl, along with her parents and another child, were trapped on the top floor of a two-storey terrace house after the ground floor was flooded.

"That afternoon, I drove a boat with three other rescuers and two of us had to climb up the roof of the house before rescuing the family through the window, while another rescuer and I waited in the boat to receive them," he told Bernama when contacted.

Yesterday, a photo of Awang Abdullah Sani holding the baby girl who was wearing a pink hat went viral on social media and was also shared on the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) Facebook page and Instagram account.

The photo gained positive responses from netizens who expressed relief and gratitude that the baby had been rescued.

Awang Abdullah Sani said he was among 128 GOF officers and personnel from Perak who were deployed to join the SAR mission in Selangor since Sunday.

Commenting further, the assistant coach of the Hulu Kinta GOF Training Centre who had served for 21 years described the SAR operation as meaningful work for his team as they were able to assist many flood victims despite the physical fatigue.

"We have been busy since Sunday and we are also willing to forgo our sleep in order to rescue the flood victims," he added.

Awang Abdullah Sani said he was shocked to find out that his photo was shared on PDRM's Facebook and Instagram page, garnering various responses from netizens.

-- BERNAMA