Photo shows Lawas Airport’s flooded runway.
MIRI (May 20): Heavy rain in Lawas District last night saw the Lawas River overflow and inundate the Lawas Airport runway.
The flash flood forced the authorities to close the airport for three days.
Minister of Transport Datuk Lee Kim Shin said rural air service operator MASwings has cancelled 30 flights from today until Saturday.
It is only expected to resume this Sunday upon completion of debris clearing works which is subject to the weather
Fire and Rescue Department Limbang chief Awangku Mohd Hazmin Awang Zainal said the runway was still under about half a metre of water as of 7.30am.
“This phenomenon usually takes between eight and 12 hours to subside,” he said.
He said this is likely to happen as the rain had stopped although it was still cloudy this morning.
Lawas police chief DSP Roslan Leman confirmed that the airport had closed for safety reasons to enable the authorities to clean up the mud and debris left by the flash flood.
Flash flooding has repeatedly affected the airport.
The last major incidents were in June last year and December 2019, which prompted Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan to push for it to be relocated.
The state government has approved the project at a new site, which could also cater to passengers from southern Sabah.
Editor’s Note: Report has been amended following an update from Datuk Lee Kim Shin