'King Kong' rescues flood victims in Lipis

KUANTAN: During the 13 years of operating heavy dumper trucks in mining activities, Sadri Asreil Sahair never thought his services would be needed to "mine" for flood victims.

Sadri Asreil, 35, said the rescue operation for the flood victims started last Monday after the police in Lipis, about 213 kilometres from here, asked for the help of his heavy machinery, dubbed "King Kong" to rescue flood victims due to rising floodwaters.

He said the company instructed him and another friend who also operates the machinery to leave all their duties immediately and follow the police to the affected location.

"People seemed perplexed when I arrived at the flooded area but were relieved to learn that I was there to assist the stranded victims.

"The rescue operation ran from noon to 7 pm, before we had to stop due to safety issues as it was getting dark and the water level was getting higher," he told Bernama here today.

Sadri Asreil, who is a Lipis native, said apart from rescuing flood victims, the services of "King Kong" were also used to send food supplies and health personnel to other locations.

Despite being eager to help comply (with rescue operations), "King Kong" had to rested after three trips as the floodwaters affected its internal parts. It had to be sent for repairs to a workshop and should take a week to fix.

"Although I could only assist for short time but it is a lifelong memory. It was exhausting work but the tiredness dissipated upon hearing the gratitude of the people. It was testing time of my skills too driving in flood conditions.

"Each time I bring out flood victims, I remind myself to be patient and not make hasty decisions for the safety of the victims and myself too," he also said.

Commenting on the title of King Kong, Sadri Asreil added that the nickname was bestowed on it by the public due to its large size.

Sadri Asreil admitted that he was also moved by the public's kind words on social media after they saw images and videos of the rescue efforts of "King Kong".

-- BERNAMA