Semporna stilt house collapse: Victims face second home loss, seek immediate help

SEMPORNA, Aug 2 (Bernama) -- Most families affected by the collapse of their stilt houses in Kampung Simunul Lorong 3 yesterday were also victims of a fire in the same village in 2015.

Housewife Nuramna Sulaiman, 38, shared that part of the collapsed houses was a transit home used to accommodate victims of the 2015 fire while they awaited placement in the Bubul Ria People’s Housing Project (PPR) here.

“We have been living in this transit home since our house in Kampung Simunul was destroyed by fire in 2015. Yesterday, we suffered the loss of our home once again after nine years.

“I hope the government will provide immediate assistance, including speeding up the house placement process in the PPR, as we are now homeless,” she told Bernama.

Nuramna said that she and her son were in Semporna town when they learned about the incident and did not anticipate that their house would be affected.

“When I reached the village, I discovered that 15 houses had already collapsed and soon after, several other houses, including mine, also fell apart.

“A few days before the incident, we noticed that the houses and the connecting bridge were drawing closer to each other. The bridge appeared visibly bent, which led residents to evacuate their homes. Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities in yesterday’s incident,” she said.

Salmiah Mustafa, 45, said she was in the kitchen washing dishes when she felt the house trembling and heard a noise resembling wind. 

The housewife said she then instructed all family members, including her mother, to evacuate the house immediately.

“As soon as we got out, the house collapsed, and we ran onto the bridge. I turned around to see the bridge moving in waves as if it were ‘chasing’ us before collapsing. This all took place in about 15 seconds,” said Salmiah, whose house was also destroyed in the 2015 fire.

Hamil Basri, 60, who has been paralysed due to a stroke for the last 10 years, was grateful to a neighbour who came to his aid and carried him to a safer place.

“At that time, my house was tilted, but fortunately, everyone was safe,” he said, while expressing hope that the government would speed up his placement at the PPR.

A total of 196 victims from 30 families affected by the incident have been evacuated to a relief centre at Bubul Ria PPR.

-- BERNAMA