YAN: The devastating water column disaster that caused a debris flood in Gunung Jerai three years ago will always remain in the memory of 31-year-old firefighter Mohd Azrin Abdullah.
Despite being a rookie back then, Azrin was determined to stick with his colleagues who braved strong currents in the pitch dark to rescue the victims.
Recalling the incident, which occured on Aug 18, 2021, Azrin, who is attached to the Alor Star Fire and Rescue Station, said they immediately rushed to Yan about 8pm that evening.
"Upon arriving at the scene, we found that the area was totally dark as the electricity supply was cut off due to the devastating water column incident, and it was raining.
"Our task was to locate five men who were reported missing in Titi Hayun after being swept away by the current," he said.
"With the help of the victims' family members, we managed to locate the first body, that of Zainol Murad amongst boulders," he said.
He added that the family member then heard a weak voice of a victim pleading for help, not far from their location.
"The current was so strong, and we spotted the victim's arm from underneath a pile of debris. We provided him with medical assistanc while waiting for back up to arrive. We immediately contacted the Fire and Rescue Department's MUST (Multi Skill) Team to assist with the task of saving the victim. They had used various tools to cut down the trees to reach the trapped victim.
Meanwhile, the state's MUST Team commander Mohd Jamil Mat Daud saidt the search and rescue mission in Yan water column tragedy was a challenging operation.
We had to be careful as the priority at that time was to save the injured victim and extracting the dead victim from the site.
"We had to cross two rivers with strong current to get the mission done," he said.