A 28-year-old man managed to save his wife by breaking a window of the car they were in before he was swept away by floodwaters in Kluang, Johor
According to Berita Harian, Md Rajihan Junaidi quickly got his wife out of their car but did not have time to climb out of the Proton Waja before it was swept away by strong currents with him still in it.
The incident was said to have occurred in the dark around 8pm on Saturday, 2 January.
His wife, 24-year-old Khairunnisa Ibrahim, was fortunately rescued by members of the public at the scene and immediately went to the nearby Kahang Police Station to make a report about her missing husband.
Kluang district police chief ACP Low Hang Seng said the couple was on their way to Kluang town from Mersing when they came across the flooded route
In a statement on Sunday, 3 January, the police chief said the couple tried to go through the flooded road at Batu 18 on Jalan Kluang-Kahang.
“When they reached the middle of the road, the car was suddenly carried by strong currents to the right side of the road, causing the victim to quickly break the window to save his wife,” he said.
Authorities have launched a search and rescue operation to find the missing victim but they have yet to locate him or the car
Kluang Fire and Rescue Department chief Akob Sedek said as soon as they received the information, nine members were deployed to the scene but they could not find the victim because the water was too deep, reported Harian Metro.
Search and rescue efforts continued on Sunday with more members mobilised on boats and a lorry to locate the victim.
According to The Star, the floods in Johor have gotten worse over the weekend and have displaced over 7,000 residents as of this morning, 4 January.