LANGKAWI: It was a close shave for a family from Kampung Padang Gaong in Ulu Melaka here when an uprooted kapok tree crushed the roofs of their home during a thunderstorm.
Relating the horrific experience in the 10pm incident on Wednesday, Wazir Abd Wahab, 42, said he was at home with his wife and three children aged, between 12 and one-year-old.
"I was watching the television with my two children while my wife Zurina Lazin, 38, was putting our youngest child to bed in a cradle.
"Suddenly we heard a loud bang, and the roof was crushed by the kapok tree trunks.
"My wife immediately grabbed our child and fled to the living hall. We are so grateful to escape without a scratch. It was a horrifying moment in our lives," he said when met at their home today.
Wazir said the roofs in the kitchen were totally wrecked and several appliances were also damaged by heavy rain that came with the thunderstorm.
The staff at a hotel here is still figuring out how to bear the costs of repairing the damage.
"I can afford to foot the bill for the repair work based on my sole income," he said.
For the moment, the family has decided to remain in the house that was built six years ago, although the kitchen portion of the house is still left exposed.
"Of course, I am worried about our safety, especially my young children, but we will have nowhere else to go until I figure out how to fix the house," he said.