Severe flooding in Hat Yai, Thailand has left many Malaysian citizens stranded in disaster zones. A Penang travel agency happened to have two groups, totaling 19 people, in Hat Yai when the disaster struck. Of these, one group of 12 managed to escape and return to Malaysia on Sunday evening (November 23), while another group of 7 are still trapped in the disaster area.
The head of the travel agency said, when interviewed, that although 7 people remain trapped in Hat Yai, they are personally safe.
He revealed in the interview that the two tour groups had departed for Hat Yai last Friday (21st). The groups were originally scheduled to return on Sunday (23rd), but the severe floods led to group members and their bus driver being trapped at their hotel.
He said that on Sunday (23rd) at noon, the flood situation where one group was trapped eased somewhat. After being trapped for three days, 12 people managed to escape and returned to Penang by evening.
He stated that the 7 who are unable to return for now remain in their hotel, but they are physically safe and have access to food and water supplies.
He also added that due to local difficulties such as power outages and water interruptions, the group of 7 are conserving electricity by turning off their phones when not necessary, causing possible difficulties in contacting them. However, he stressed that they are not in danger, and staying at the hotel is currently the safest option. They are waiting for the disaster to subside and for everything to return to normal before arrangements will be made for their return to Malaysia.
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On another note, Malaysian woman Liu Meijing, who was stranded in Hat Yai due to the severe flooding, returned safely to Malaysia on Sunday (23rd) night, arriving home in Butterworth at around 10pm.
She told Guanghua Daily on Sunday that the hotel where she stayed was in a low-lying area, and the water was so deep that about 40 to 50 travelers were trapped, nearly 40 of whom were Malaysians, including children and the elderly. The flooding around the hotel was severe, roads were unrecognizable, and there were even reports of large snakes in the area, making it extremely dangerous to go outside.
She said that starting Saturday (22nd), the hotel experienced a 9-hour power outage, food and drinking water were scarce, and tap water became muddy after a few hours.
Liu Meijing added when updating the newspaper on her safety that in the end, it was thanks to the trapped Malaysians who managed to contact a private leisure truck company that specializes in ferrying passengers between Padang Besar KTM station and Hat Yai. The company first sent a large truck to a designated location to transport everyone to a safe area, then transferred them to leisure trucks to be sent to the border checkpoint, charging 500 baht per person.
She said that on Sunday (23rd) morning, as the rain eased and water levels near the hotel began to drop, everyone seized the chance to evacuate, and subsequently they successfully returned to Malaysia via the Padang Besar checkpoint.
Before this, she noted that someone had risked wading out and found that flood conditions outside the hotel were less severe, speculating that the hotel area was in a lower geographic location. On Saturday, Hat Yai also received an emergency alert that rising water levels might continue in the northern section of the U-Tapao Canal, which further worried everyone.
Fortunately, through self-help and coordination among many parties, the stranded Malaysians were ultimately able to escape, and she has now safely returned home.