SIBU (March 24): All temporary evacuation centres (PPS) for flood victims in Kapit and Sibu divisions have officially been closed today.

The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) secretariat in a statement said the two PPS in Kapit division, located at Asrama Belia Kapit and Dewan Suarah Kapit, were closed at 9am today.

In the Sibu division, the Dewan Serbaguna Selangau PPS was closed at 12pm, followed by the closure of the Dewan Komuniti Sibu Jaya PPS at 1pm and Dewan Kompleks Sukan Kanowit PPS at 5pm.

Two other PPS, namely the Dewan Masyarakat Kampung Bahagia Jaya Teku PPS in Sibu and Dewan Kampung Sukan in Miri, sheltering 43 and 40 landslide victims respectively, are still active as of 6pm.

The Saint Bernard Church PPS in Bintulu also remains active, and currently houses 146 fire victims from Rumah Lapie, Sungai Binai.

SANCHEONG COUNTY, South Korea (Reuters) - Deadly wildfires spread further across South Korea on Monday as authorities designated three more counties 'special disaster zones'.

At least four people have been killed and hundreds forced to flee their homes since blazes broke out in several areas on Saturday, stoked by strong winds and dry weather.

"Things that remind me of my youth disappeared without a trace - photos of my children when they were young," he told Reuters.

"The biggest priority is to quickly come up with measures to support and allow disaster recovery as soon as possible," he said.

Sancheong was already a special disaster zone - a designation that triggers extra funding and other measures. Acting President Han Duck-soo added another county in South Gyeongsang Province and two others in Ulsan and North Gyeongsang Province to the list.

Han, who returned to the post following a ruling by the Constitutional Court earlier in the day, visited Uiseong County, one of the affected areas, and met residents who had taken shelter, his office said in a statement.

BEAUFORT (Mar 24): People still turned up to donate blood to the Beaufort Hospital despite the recent floods as evidenced by the collection of 125 bags of blood.

According to Beaufort Hospital director Dr Sutharsan a/l Kannan, the extraordinary commitment of donors who came at night is highly appreciated. Their presence ensures an adequate blood supply for the upcoming festive week.

“During the major flood on March 9, blood collection was affected as planned donation programs had to be canceled due to rapidly rising water levels and unusable locations,” he said.

Dr Sutharsan made these remarks during the 2025 Ramadan Blood Donation Program, jointly organized by Y&Y Group, Skuad Ar-Rayyan Sabah, Kedai Kim Hin and the hospital, at the Outpatient Department here last Saturday.

“The hospital is deeply grateful for the contributions and roles played by the organizing partners and individual donors in making this program a success. It not only involved blood donation but also included an iftar meal for the donors,” he added.

He further mentioned, “To address the previous blood shortage, nearby hospitals also helped maintain Beaufort Hospital’s blood stock. Additionally, an emergency blood donation drive was held at night, organized by the Hung Men Beaufort Friendship Association, targeting Health Ministry staff around Beaufort.”

Appreciation was also extended to several organizers, including St Paul’s Church Beaufort, the Hung Men Beaufort Friendship Association, and the Malaysian Red Crescent Society Beaufort District, which held blood donation programs on March 16.

Regarding the upcoming Aidilfitri celebration, Dr Sutharsan urged donors to continue visiting the hospital’s blood bank and participating in upcoming programs, such as those in Kg Mentulud on April 12 and Kg Suasa on April 13. For more information, follow Beaufort Hospital’s official Facebook page.

Also present at the event were Y&Y Group representative Lee Kim Yoong, medical officer and head of the blood bank team Dr Norilmi Juzuli, and chairman of Skuad Ar-Rayyan Sabah, Laiman Abdullah.

KANOWIT (March 24): Two passenger boats, known among the locals as ‘Pasen’ berthing at Kanowit Jetty here, sank early Sunday after the jetty had collapsed due to the floods.

Kanowit District police chief DSP Junical Ujal said the incident occurred at 4.50am.

“Initial investigations indicated that the jetty had collapsed and sunk, bringing along the two boats tied to the structure down,” he said when contacted today.

Junical said bad weather was identified as the main cause of the incident, and initial investigations found that there were no problems pertaining to the jetty structure before the floods struck.

“The jetty structure was found to be safe to use. The Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB) also carried out periodic inspections and maintenance of the pontoons,” he added.

Junical also said the police had always been working closely with the SRB in ensuring the safety of those using rivers, as well as compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOP) for passenger boats.

“The police and the board will continue to monitor safety at the passenger terminal jetty and other jetties along the Kanowit River to prevent such incidents from recurring,” he said.

Junical then advised longhouse villagers and other residents commuting using the ‘Pasen’, especially the SMK Sedaya students, to use land transport pending the resumption of the boat service.

“The people using river transport must be careful, particularly during bad weather conditions.

“The public is advised not to carry out any activities in the river or use boats during heavy rain and high tides, for their own safety.”

No casualties were reported in the Sunday incident, as the boats were not in operation.

The boats – named ‘Seri Pasin’ and ‘Pasen 85’, able to accommodate 12 and 36 passengers, respectively – were the main transport means connecting Kanowit town and Jalan Nibong Tada crossing Sungai Rajang.