ALOR SETAR, Nov 5 — "In just a few minutes, a congested road changed into a sea of (fast-running) brown water,” said one of the victims who was trapped in her car during a flash flood in Sungai Petani, last night.

Mashitah Abu Bakar, 58, said she was travelling to Kota Sarang Semut here with her husband, Ibrahim Ahmad, 63, and a friend, when they were stranded in the incident while on the road from Bedong to Gurun.

"We had started back at 6pm using the ordinary route (non-highway). It was a bit congested and we thought there had been an accident ahead. Several minutes later, traffic started to slow down.

"Nevertheless, we pushed on and it was about two kilometres ahead when we started to notice water spilling onto the road. The water rose in the blink of an eye and entered the car and rose up to our ankles,” she told Bernama today.

She said they pressed on after seeing several high-axled vehicles braving the flood water but the fast-rising flood water caused the car to shake.

Mashitah said motorists and passengers alighted from their vehicles to find high grounds after noticing the rapid rise in water level.

"A woman knocked on our car window urging us to quickly leave the car as the water was rising higher. Concerned for our safety, we got out and waded towards some houses nearby.

"We sat on a brick wall bordering a house together with some other stranded motorists and their passengers as we were afraid there could be poisonous creatures in the water which has risen to waist level,” she said.

She said her younger brother from Alor Setar came to fetch her friend and her using a four-wheel drive vehicle an hour later while her husband waited for a tow-truck to move the car which was under water.

She said she was thankful they were all safe but was a bit peeved that the Fire and Rescue Department did not issue any early warning to road users concerning the flood. — Bernama