SETIU: Eight fishing boats and 10 fiberglass boats, owned by 13 fishermen, were swept away in a large wave incident in Kampung Telaga Papan here, resulting in an estimated loss of RM1.4 million.
This phenomenon not only caused damage to the fishing boats but also led to losses for the residents, as floodwaters rose to more than two metres.
Boat owner Jamaluddin Mohamad, 57, said the incident occurred when residents were preparing to move to a temporary relief centre (PPS) after the village was flooded at around midnight.
He became aware of the incident at about 7am today when informed by boat skipper, Zakariya Yaacob, 67.
"I immediately went to the jetty and was shocked to find that all the boats, of various sizes, owned by the fishermen had 'disappeared' as the ropes used to tie the boats had snapped. The boats were scattered around, like trash, washed up on the beach," he said, estimating his losses to be more than RM100,000, as six of his Class A boats were severely damaged.
He added that the large waves and strong currents caused the ropes to snap, causing the boats to be swept out to sea.
"Besides the boats, dozens of fiberglass boats were damaged, and many are likely to have been carried out to sea," he said.
Another boat owner, Khairul Hassan Mohamad, 54, said a similar incident occurred about 10 years ago, which destroyed nearly 20 chalets in the area.
"The waves last night were very large, with heights reaching up to 2.7m. Some of the boats that were saved after being stranded on the beach suffered severe damage, particularly to the hulls and engines. One of my boats was destroyed beyond repair and will require a long time to repair due to the high costs involved," he said.