5 Malaysians trapped in house when it collapsed
KUALA LUMPUR: As the building collapsed around them, Haziq Wafiy Mohd Azman and his group of climbers rushed out.
Glad that they managed to escape, the group was overjoyed. It took a while before they realised that several of their group members were missing.
As they listened carefully, they heard the weak voices of other members calling for help from inside the collapsed house where they had been staying.
Haziq, 26, was among 18 Malaysian climbers who had scaled a mountain in Lombok and was preparing to leave for home when a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit.
“We were getting ready to leave for Malaysia at the time. Some of us were in the living room, some in the bathrooms and others were near the doorway.
“When the quake hit, I did not think much of it. I did not think the house would collapse. But we left the building anyway,” he said when contacted.
Five members of the group, however, did not make it out in time.
One of the voices shouting for help soon went quiet.
It was only later that they realised one of their group members had died, having been hit by a collapsed wall.
Haziq said local residents helped the group pull out their injured friends who were trapped in the collapsed house, as well as the one who died.
“Three members of the group were badly injured and received treatment at a hospital.
“Three others had only light injuries.”