KUALA LUMPUR: A 29-year-old man from Penampang turned an inflatable swimming pool, typically used for family fun, into a lifesaving vessel during a major flood.
Azriel Nicol Jue Panjan used the inflatable pool to transport six children to higher ground as floodwaters surged into their homes, including his one-year-old infant and his two-year-old daughter.
He shared that he often spends weekends with his family in the inflatable pool at their home in Penampang.
The 2.74-metre-long and 1.5-metre-wide inflatable pool proved invaluable, helping his immediate family and his relatives when the major floods struck their home in Kampung Inobong Kimoligan last Sunday.
The chaotic yet memorable moment was captured by his wife, Desiree Petrus, 29, and quickly became a buzz on social media.
In the video, Azriel was seen pushing the pool with the help of his father-in-law and brother-in-law.
"In our minds, we just wanted to get the kids to safety; that was our priority," he told an English daily.
The other children in the floating pool were his in-laws' children, ranging from his baby to a 10-year-old boy.
"I am slightly over 1.5m tall, but the water was at least 2.1m high then. We were swimming as we steered the pool to send the children to our neighbour, who lives on a hill about 100m away.
"We were racing against time because the water was still rising due to the heavy rain. We couldn't fit everyone in the pool as it would sink," Azriel said.
The electricity metre reader recounted making a total of three trips during the flooding, with the first being to send over the children before going back to retrieve his pregnant sister-in-law and another relative.
"We went to take my wife and mother-in-law on the final trip. We could not salvage any of our properties. My car and two of our motorcycles were submerged in water, along with all our other belongings and valuables.
"I think we have lost about RM15,000 worth of belongings in the floods."
The downpour, which began late Sunday morning, was the worst to hit Penampang in recent times.
Azriel said even neighbours living on elevated ground, who had never experienced flooding before, found their homes inundated with nearly knee-high water.
"We only took notice when water began to stream into my relative's house, located at a lower level than mine. But the water rose quickly and the undercurrent was also strong, so we decided to get the children to safety first."
He said the continuous rain caused the nearby Sungai Inobong to breach its banks, worsening the situation.
Although they contacted a rescue team, Azriel claimed help never arrived as rescue agencies were overwhelmed with over 200 distress calls that day.
"I am just thankful my family and relatives are safe. Rather than waiting for assistance, we decided to take matters into our own hands," he said.
While the floods have receded, Azriel and his family are still staying at a relative's house as the water supply has not yet been restored in their village.