Survivors recall harrowing Tenom Pangi tragedy

Borneo Post

24-05-2025

The Tenom Pangi hydroelectric plant tragedy on October 30, 2022. – Photo courtesy from Sabah Electricity.
TENOM (May 24): It was an ordinary day for auxiliary policeman Ailey Jamal when he began his evening shift at the Tenom Pangi hydroelectric plant on October 30, 2022. Despite the heavy rain, Ailey, 59, did not give much thought to the weather as he reported for duty just before 4 p.m.
Sheltered inside the police guard house with his colleague Yunus, Ailey remembers watching the Padas River's rapid flow from the window. The river powers the Tenom Pangi hydroelectric station. Behind them stood a hill.
A before and after photos of the Tenom Pangi hydroelectric plant tragedy on October 30, 2022. – Photo courtesy from Sabah Electricity.
'It was just a standard evening shift. We didn't think much of the thunderstorm,?said Ailey, who has served as an auxiliary policeman for 36 years with Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) – now renamed Sabah Electricity.
At around 7.30 p.m., a deafening roar erupted from the hill. Curious and alarmed, the two stepped out to investigate. What followed was a nightmare ?a massive landslide tore down the hillside, trapping Ailey and Yunus inside the guard house as soil, rocks and trees crashed down.
Restoration work being carried out at the water intake station of the Tenom Pangi hydroelectric plant.
'Both the front and back doors were blocked. There was a small gap at the back, about a meter wide. We tried crawling out, but the soil kept collapsing into it,?said Ailey.
Just then, they saw a beam of light cutting through the dark. It came from Petrus A. Joanis, 55, a plant operator at the water intake station 100 meters away. Earlier, Petrus had noticed the river's rising level but didn't anticipate a disaster.
Thhe Tenom Pangi hydroelectric plant engines back in full operation.
'There was a blackout, followed by a thundering sound from the hill. We managed to restore power after several attempts and raised the division gate to control water flow,?Petrus recalled.
When he couldn't contact the guard house, a gut feeling prompted him to check.
'I saw the guard house buried under soil and debris, with only the roof visible. I started to head back when I heard Yunus yelling my name,?Petrus said.
Realizing they were trapped, Petrus extended his hand through the narrow gap and pulled both men to safety.
From left: Ailey, Petrus, Dasiri and Raffi looking through the Sabah Electricity book title 'Kisah SESB / The SESB Story', following the Re-Operation Ceremony and 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Tenom Pangi Hydroelectric Power Station on May 14, 2025.
'We ran immediately, fearing a second landslide,?he said. The trio returned to the water intake station, where they waited out the night with another colleague.
Meanwhile, four kilometers deeper into the station, six other SESB staff and auxiliary police were also trapped.
Mohd Raffi Yahya, 40, the shift leader at Tenom Pangi, received a warning call from Petrus about rising water levels around 7 p.m.
'I reduced the load from 66MW to 36MW and went outside to check the conditions,?said Raffi, a 16-year veteran of the plant.
Minutes later, water poured into the lower levels of the power plant, flooding areas housing critical transformers and turbines. Believing a hilltop water tank had burst or overflowed, Raffi requested a total plant shutdown at 7.36 p.m. ?just as all communications went down.
Using a PABX line, Raffi contacted the Load Dispatch Centre and requested a rescue. He then led his team through waist-deep floodwaters to a guard post on higher ground, a journey that took nearly an hour.
As rescuers could not reach them due to the blocked access road, the six trapped workers and officers decided to walk out the next morning ?a five-hour trek to safety. Miraculously, all 10 workers, including four auxiliary police, escaped without injuries.
Restoration and Recognition
Following the disaster, SESB immediately launched restoration efforts. Among the key figures involved was Assistant Mechanical Engineer Jimi Sikul @ Dasiri, 60, who boasts 39 years of service.
Originally from Keningau, Dasiri joined SESB (then Lembaga Letrik Sabah) in 1986 and was stationed at Tenom Pangi for many years. He was set to retire in 2024 but extended his contract by six months to oversee the plant's re-operation.
'My employer asked me to stay until everything was up and running. After June, I'll finally retire and spend time with my family,?said the father of eight, smiling proudly after receiving SESB's Excellent Service Award.
A New Beginning
On May 14, 2025, the Tenom Pangi Hydroelectric Power Station officially returned to full operation. The re-operation ceremony coincided with the plant's 40th anniversary and was officiated by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Works, Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
Constructed in 1978 and completed in 1984, the Tenom Pangi station has long been vital in supplying energy to Tenom and its surrounding areas, playing a key role in Sabah's development.