31 stranded on hill rescued
> Copter used to ferry them to safer grounds, 10 seniors told to stay in hotel with kin
GEORGE TOWN: Thirty-one people, who were stranded on Penang Hill since Saturday, were ferried by helicopter to safer grounds nearby.
A Fire and Rescue Department helicopter was used to bring down the victims from the top of the 830m-high hill and safely landed at the Police Federal Reserve Unit 3 (FRU3) base in Jalan Boundary near Air Itam.
Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) in a statement yesterday said the 31 were among 52 people stranded on the hill since Saturday.
Ten senior citizens in the group were advised to stay at a hotel with family members taking care of them.
Northeast district police chief ACP Anuar Omar said the rescue mission, which started at 9am yesterday, comprised more than 60 personnel from the police, army, civil defence, Fire and Rescue Department, as well as PHC staff and volunteers, who hiked up the hill in the operation.
“The group was advised not to hike down due to the downpour that caused access to the hill to be blocked,” Anuar told a press conference at the FRU3 base.
He added the 31 had been staying at the Bellevue Hotel prior to the rescue.
“The decision to ferry the victims via helicopter was made after the trail was found to be dangerous to walk through,” he said.
One of the victims, Wong Sien Fung, 33, said she felt blessed that she and her two children were ferried down the hill via a helicopter.
“We were trapped since Saturday and people advised us not to trek down during the rain on Saturday as the trek was slippery.
“We were trapped on the hill for three days and we are very thankful that these courageous people saved us,” she said.
Earlier, PHC general manager L.L. Cheok announced that the rescue team reached the top of the hill at about 11.20am.
“The team managed to clear space for the helicopter to land near the Governor’s Bungalow at the top of the hill. This was done after we received clearance,” he told the press at the Penang Hill lower station.
Meanwhile, the number of flood victims evacuated to relief centres in Penang has dropped to 4,589 people from 1,199 families as of 6pm yesterday from 6,080 people from 1,572 families in the morning.
A police flood operations room spokesman said all the victims were placed at 41 relief centres in four districts in the state.