She wanted to stay home, but a Kuching father’s insistence saved her when their house fell into the river

On October 4, Kuching resident Isniah Daud was operating her kuih stall with three daughters when her riverside house near Kampung Bintawa Tengah collapsed into the river in the early morning. Despite her eldest daughter's initial reluctance, 11-year-old Isniah's youngest daughter eventually joined her after her father, Mohd Ismail Mostapha, insisted she accompany him.

Isniah had experienced an unsettling feeling before the collapse, though she couldn't explain it. Moments later, a neighbor alerted her to the incident, and she left the stall immediately, leaving her daughters to tend to it.

The 42-year-old father and mother managed to salvage some certificates and important documents from the ruins, but their youngest daughter's identification cards were lost in the submerged bedroom. The family retrieved a bed from the rubble that had been impaled by a collapsed house pole. The 18-year-old house, which Isniah had lived in for 14 years, had been a source of concern due to its riverside location and tendency to shake during rain. The family had intended to renovate it but hadn't followed through.

The collapse also damaged a neighboring house when debris from Isniah's house struck two of its poles. Firefighters advised the occupants not to remain in the house, and Isniah and her family fled without injury. Her husband reported the incident to the police. The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department received the report at 1:16 pm and dispatched personnel from the Petra Jaya Fire and Rescue Station to the scene.

No rescue operation was necessary as the five residents had managed to escape. The department also noted that a nearby house was at risk of collapse, following debris from the affected house striking some of its stilts. The owner was warned to exercise caution.