Flood: Umrah pilgrim misses flight after stranded for hours

SEPANG, Dec 19 -- A prospective umrah pilgrim missed out on his chance to join his group on their early flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) after being stranded for more than eight hours on the highway due to floods in the Klang Valley.

The man, who wished to be known only as Ahmad, was supposed to board an Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai at 2 am today but ended up stranded on the Federal Highway until about 3 am because the flood made the route impassable to light vehicles. 

"There were many vehicles stranded along with us. The rain early this morning was really heavy and my daughter and I just sat in the car.

"Alhamdulillah, my car was not flooded and we took turns sleeping in the car, worried that the water would rise and we would not be able to get out," he said when met by Bernama at the Sultan Abdul Samad Mosque at KLIA here today.

Ahmad, 50, from Temerloh, Pahang said he would have arrived early if things went according to plan.

"What could we do….many roads were closed," he said, adding that the floods in the Klang Valley this time were very severe but he had not expected to miss his flight.

Ahmad said he had contacted his umrah agent, who was trying to get him a new flight ticket tonight.

"If it is meant to be, I can perform the umrah, if not, it's okay," he said.

Another traveller, private employee, Rahim Hamzah, 26, said he missed his flight to Penang yesterday afternoon after also being stranded on the Federal Highway.

"All the roads were really flooded....at 6 am today, I arrived at this mosque (Sultan Abdul Samad Mosque) with a friend and we will sleep first because I have bought a ticket back to Penang at 9 pm later," he said.

The floods that hit the Klang Valley yesterday caused thousands of residents to be evacuated while many motorists were stranded due to congested or flooded roads.

Floods were also reported in Pahang, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kelantan and most recently, Perak.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has instructed all relevant ministries to mobilise assets to flood-affected areas to ensure that the people are rescued and evacuated to relief centres immediately.

-- BERNAMA