PENAMPANG: The floods here claimed its first victim, a foreigner who drowned after falling into a swelling river in Kampung Limbanak.
The Indonesian identified as Antonis Bole, 26, was found at about 12.30pm by a team from the Fire and Rescue department dispatched to the village after a distress call was made.
District Fire and Rescue station chief Jamaluddin Hussin said Antonis was found not far from where he was last seen in a boat at the river earlier in the morning.
Investigations revealed Antonis was paddling the boat to look for sago trees when he slipped and fell into the river which had swelled because of the rain the last several days.
Jamaluddin said the team was deployed to search for Antonis after a call was received at about 11.30am.
The district here was hit by the worst floods yesterday since the last 15 years as about 100,000 people in 70 villages were affected.