BY YU JI

All that’s left: Erosion at the riverbank caused parts of SK Kampung Buda in Spaoh to collapse and disappear into the Saribas River.

BETONG (Sarawak): A nursery, classrooms and a surau of SK Kampung Buda in Spaoh, 58km from here, collapsed and disappeared into the Saribas River in a pre-dawn incident.

Betong Fire and Rescue Department officer Sapuan Abu said no casualties were reported, adding that the department was alerted at about 4.05am.

He said the nursery and surau collapsed due to erosion at the riverbank. The school is a wooden structure built almost entirely on stilts above the Saribas River.

Sapuan said eight personnel led by fire officer Tony Morni rushed to the site.

Fortunately, no one was at the school or nursery as it was the school holidays. The school has 73 pupils and 13 teachers.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas, who was scheduled to visit the site yesterday, was unable to do so due to a helicopter fault.

Uggah had been due to take off from the Kuching International Airport at about 2pm. By the time another helicopter was readied, the weather had turned bad.

“I’m disappointed as I wanted to go to check on the site,” he said in a video clip on his Facebook page.

He said Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem had directed for the school to be given assistance.

Uggah later posted an update of the situation according to personnel at the site. About 80% of the school’s infrastructure was damaged.

He said he would try to go to the site today.