KOTA KINABALU: Repair works on roads and bridges damaged in a recent flood in Sabah's rural Nabawan district are on track, says Deputy Works Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup.

       He said repair works on the 45km gravel road leading to SK Pengaraan were almost completed.

       “We expect this gravel road to be completed by the time school reopens next week,” he said here on Thursday (June 9).

       He said the construction of five bridges for a nearby village where SK Nangkawangan and SK Layon are located were also progressing well.

       Previously, The Star reported that teachers had to walk for about 18 hours from the school to a main road to get to Keningau town after the road was damaged by floods.

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       That prompted Arthur, who is Pensiangan MP, to hire two helicopters to send the teachers back to the village and also airlift several villagers who were ill, after the term break ended.

       It was also reported that pupils and some adults in the village also had to use a zip-line and bamboo rafts to cross a river to get to school.

       The scene was recorded and went viral, resulting in an uproar on social media with users calling on the authorities to address the problem immediately as lives were at stake.

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       Arthur said before the incident went viral, he had gone to the village to check on the situation.

       “I was told that the zip-line is solely for the use of transporting items or foods and not to carry people.

       “It might have been overlooked and the children took the opportunity to use it to cross the river,” he said.