Idyllic holiday retreat turned nightmare for family

MARANG: A group of holidaymakers faced a terrifying moment when their chalet almost collapsed due to strong waves on Tuesday night.
Latifah Hamid, 51, said she and five other family members were resting when they saw the gate to the chalet as well as several coconut trees had fallen.
She said the family had come to Terengganu from Kuala Lumpur to enjoy a view of the sea and opted to stay nearby Pantai Rusila.
"We checked in at 11am yesterday (Tuesday) and although the winds were strong, the waves were not as high as last night.
"We planned to holiday by the sea, but we never imagined that its waves would affect our accommodation," she said at the scene.
Meanwhile, chalet owner Jamilah Abdullah said she had ordered about 10 of her guests to move upon hearing the chalet was threatened by erosion from strong winds and big waves.
She said the 12 seaside rooms were left hanging after part of the soil had eroded.
"This is the first such incident in our 10 years operating the chalet.
Luckily our guests were alert and no untoward incidents occurred," she said.
She added that the 12 rooms located about 50m away from the beach were at risk of being carried away by the water as the retaining walls erected by the Irrigation and Drainage Department two years ago had also been washed away. – Bernama