SEPANG: The 10 Malaysians who were safe in a fire in a rented home in Christchurch, New Zealand recently, arrived here early today.
They arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) at 5.27 am on a special AirAsia X flight.
Their arrival on the D7 207 aircraft was welcomed by an AirAsia X team, led by its chief executive officer, Benyamin Ismail.
“We are thankful to the Malaysian High Commission in Wellington and the Malaysian Tourism Office in Auckland for their help in processing the victims’ travel documents fast,” he said.
According to media reports, the fire on Sept 10 destroyed the wooden three-storey holiday home in Clinton Terrace, Sumner, which the victims rented.
All the victims were saved, although six of them suffered slight injuries and were treated at Christchurch Hospital.
They also lost their personal belongings including their passports, which left them stranded in New Zealand.
One of the victims, Rasol Abu Bakar, 59, said he was grateful that all his family members were safe in the fire.
He said during the incident, his family had just finished their Isyak prayers at the home.
Rasol said when the fire occurred, he only thought of Allah and dying as it spread very fast and thick smoke enveloped the second floor where they were.
“I am thankful that the whole family including my two grandchildren, aged two and four, are safe after escaping through the front and back doors,” Rasol, who led the family vacation, said. – BERNAMA