SANDAKAN: An elderly man was found burnt to death in a house fire at Kampung Mumiang, here, on Tuesday night.
The charred remains of Lee Thung Mong, 77, was discovered inside the house by a General Operations Force team.
Sandakan Fire and Rescue Station Chief Jimmy Lagung said the victim was found in the debris after the fire which was reported at 7.19pm.
He said firemen faced difficulties in accessing the location as there were no land routes and sea conditions were affected by low tide.
Firefighters had to rely on a boat from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency to reach the village, arriving at 11.40pm.
“The operation faced difficulties due to the absence of land access and low tide conditions, as movement to the location depended on other agency boats,” he said in a statement.
The fire involved a non-permanent house measuring about 20 by 30 square feet which was completely destroyed.