By DayakDaily Team KUCHING, July 28: A sudden and intense downpour last night (July 27) triggered flash floods across Kuching city, submerging several roads and affecting major events, including the ongoing Kuching Food Festival 2025 at MBKS grounds. Despite the heavy rain, large crowds remained at the festival, showcasing what Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng described as the true ‘Sarawakian spirit’. “Just earlier, we experienced a major thunderstorm and heavy rain, so we’re now assessing the situation. I want to thank the people of Kuching for their strong support and for still coming out. As you can see, there are still many people here,” he said in a video statement while inspecting the food festival at the MBKS grounds here last night (July 27). “This is what we call the Sarawakian spirit—undaunted and resilient. Unfortunately, some signage fell, and several performances could not go on as scheduled due to the strong winds and rain. We sincerely apologise to those who came to support the Kuching Food Festival and were affected,” he added. Wee assured that cleanup and repair works would begin immediately, expressing hope that the food festival could resume smoothly today (July 28). “We hope the storm will pass and the skies will clear. Let’s lift our spirits, clean up, repair the damages, and look forward to welcoming everyone back to the Kuching Food Festival,” he said. Videos shared online showed floodwaters rising rapidly in areas such as Jalan Mendu, the Padang Merdeka area, and around the Kuching Food Festival grounds, where attendees took shelter as stall operators dealt with inundated grounds and waterlogged equipment. On the streets, vehicles are seen wading through murky floodwaters, while some business premises appear flooded. As of now, no casualties have been reported. — DayakDaily