Tourists stranded on Pulau Perhentian since Friday, concerned over food supply
SHAH ALAM - A total of 385 tourists including 18 children and two babies have been stranded in Pulau Perhentian in Terengganu since Friday due to bad weather.
Perhentian Island Accommodation Premises Association president Abdul Aziz Che Abdullah said rough sea conditions and strong winds caused boat service operations on the resort island to be temporarily halted.
"The tourists are staying at 19 hotels and resorts in Pulau Perhentian.
“They are from Terengganu and outside. Alhamdulillah, their condition is all safe and good,” he told Bernama today.
Sinar Daily spoke to 32-year old Amirul Azim who has been on the island since Wednesday.
He said he arrived on to the island with friends at 3pm and noticed that the waves were strong.
He felt concerned about the strong waters but brushed it off since it wasn’t raining.
“The wind was so strong, that the waves drenched us when we were on our boats.
“It only started raining heavily on Thursday night onwards, and it has been non-stop after that,” he said.
He posted a video on Twitter that he took last Friday at around 5pm, which showed waves that reached up to 5 metres plaguing the island.
Amirul, among the other victims stranded on Pulau Perhentian was informed by the authorities then that no boat was allowed in or out of the island until further notice as a safety measure.
Today is his third day trapped on the island.
With work meetings to attend to back home in Kuala Lumpur, the uncertainty of the situation has begun to worry him and his friends who tagged along on the trip.
“We did try to reach out to authorities but it seems like there is nothing that can be done.
“They have asked us to wait,” he said.
Amirul said the biggest concern for most of the victims stranded on the island was food supply.
He said raw chicken and red meat were no longer available, and the supply was decreasing at a worrying rate.
Food supply needs to be sent by boat and has become a cause for concern for the tourists stranded on the island resort.
Terengganu Civil Defence Force chief Lieutenant Colonel (PA) Mohd Rosman Abdullah said high tides and big waves were naturally to be expected during the northeast monsoon season (MTL).
This volatility, he said, was why all boats are not allowed to go back to continue rescue efforts.
“I would advise all tourists and locals to stop all activities on the island for the time being, and to wait for the floods to recover,” he added.
