KOTA KINABALU, July 10 — Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) and its contractors are busy restoring electricity supply that was cut off due to bad weather in the last two days.

SESB senior general manager (asset management) Idris Mohd Noor said strong winds and heavy rain that hit the west coast and interior of Sabah since last Friday (July 8) resulted in toppled electricity poles, fallen trees, soil erosion and flash floods in some areas.

He said power outages occurred in the areas of Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Keningau, Tenom, Kota Belud, Kudat and the Federal Territory of Labuan.

"Many SESB installations suffered severe damage, which caused disruption of electricity supply to consumers due to the bad weather.

"SESB technical staff, who are on holiday to celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha, have also been instructed to assist and speed up the process of restoring electricity supply in the affected areas,” he said in a statement here tonight.

Idris said the SESB team were prepared to deal with the repairs in light of rising complaints due to bad weather and would prioritise critical locations such as hospitals and those involving public safety.

SESB, he said, greatly appreciated the patience and cooperation of consumers throughout this supply recovery period and the company would continue to monitor electricity supply.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said in a statement today that the low pressure weather system in the western Philippines is expected to move towards eastern Vietnam from July 10-13, which could potentially bring strong westerly winds and result in squall line incidents.

The situation could also cause heavy downpours, thunderstorms and strong winds in northern Sarawak (Bintulu, Miri and Limbang), western Sabah and Labuan until July 12, and the northern states of the Peninsula from tomorrow till July 13.

Meanwhile, Sabah Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Misran Bisara said some 40 incidents of fallen trees were reported in the state since last night due to heavy wind and rain.

He said the highest reports came from Kuala Penyu district, with 10 cases, followed by Penampang (eight cases), Kota Kinabalu (five), Tuaran (four), and the rest in other districts including Sipitang, Kunak, Kudat, Kimanis, Papar and Beaufort.

"No casualties have been reported so far but there have been incidents of fallen trees causing injury, and the public is advised to remain vigilant,” he said when contacted.

Meanwhile, the Sabah Fire and Rescue Department operations centre said a 51-year-old woman was injured in the shoulder by a falling tree while gardening in Kampung Kalanggan, Penampang, this afternoon.

The fire brigade received a report at 3.12pm and removed the fallen tree with the help of villagers before operations ended at 5.59pm. — Bernama