BUSINESSMAN SURVIVES QUAKE AFTER BEING THROWN INTO SWIMMING POOL

PADANG, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- A Malaysian businessman could not believe his
good fortune when he was tossed into the swimming pool of the hotel he was
staying in when an earthquake struck this West Sumatra city two days ago.

The hotel was detroyed.

Wong Lee Kwong, 52, who was still exhausted while relating his ordeal, said
he had just registered at the Ambacang Hotel a half-hour ago when the quake
struck.

"I was preparing to take a bath and had just a towel on when suddenly the
hotel building shook, tilted and was demolished," said Wong who was on the
fourth floor.

"The hotel tilted to the left causing me to be thrown into the swimming
pool," he said when met the at the Minangkabau International Airport near here.

Wong, who had scratches on his back due to falling concrete, came out of the
pool naked and was cared for by a hotel employee who provided him with clothing.


He said amid the confusion and mayhem, and with lots of screaming, he was
taken to an open area for safety.

"I was indeed lucky that people helped me or I do not know what would have
happened to me," said Wong, who expressed thanks that he was allowed to take a
Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) flight to Malaysia Friday morning.

A family that was holidaying in the area also related their ordeal when the
7.6-magnitude earthquake struck.

Badrulamin Mohd Sharif, 30, from Kuala Lumpur said he, his wife, two
daughters, mother-in-law, and two sisters-in-law had been in the area holidaying
since Thursday last week.

"While we were shopping at the Bukit Tinggi market complex, suddenly the
building shook and people ran out shouting 'earthquake'," he said.

Alarmed at the situation, he led his family to an open space about 100m
away.

"Thank God, we were safe and not injured. After getting information from
Malaysian embassy staff here we were allowed to go home with Malaysian
students," he said.

Badrulamin and family got on a RMAF aircraft at about 6am Malaysian time.

-- BERNAMA