A houseboat restaurant in Kota Bharu, Malaysia was swept away by the strong current of the Kelantan River at around 3.30pm on Wednesday (27 Nov).
Source: China Press on Facebook
The restaurant, which had been moored on the river, drifted about 5km downstream.
According to the owner, Mohd Izhan Ramli, the roof of the restaurant was initially damaged by a fallen tree, and they then heard a loud noise.
“I originally thought that only the kitchen was moving, but I didn’t expect that the houseboats were all connected,” he explained, noting that three to four houseboats were carried away by the current.
A personnel from the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) told Harian Metro that there were no people inside the restaurant at the time of the incident.
Fortunately, the Kelantan APM Marine Unit office was located just a few metres from the scene.
The team immediately launched a boat to chase after the drifting houseboat and a raft that Mr Ramli also owned.
With the assistance of villagers in two additional boats, they were able to retrieve the floating restaurant around 5km from its original location.
“Although the river current was strong, the houseboat entered a slightly slower stream, which allowed us to catch up,” the APM personnel shared.
The houseboat and raft are now moored to a tree near where they were retrieved.
The personnel also mentioned that the strong current, which had been present since the previous evening, caused friction that led to the mooring lines breaking.
Source: @hmetromy on TikTok
This allowed the houseboat and raft to be swept away.
Meanwhile, Mr Ramli reported suffering an estimated RM800,000 (about S$242,000) in losses due to the incident.
The damages include structural harm to the houseboat, furniture, and food items.
Notably, freshly purchased king crabs stored in the freezer were submerged during the incident.
Mr Ramli also had to cancel several reservations for the day due to the disruption.
Additionally, his private boat, which was stored on a raft, was carried away but remained undamaged.
To allow time for repairs, Mr Ramli has decided to take a week-long break from operations.
Also read: Retired pastor drowns after losing control of car & crashing into drainage ditch in M’sia
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Featured image adapted from China Press on Facebook
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