Let’s play Eye Spy. Have you seen one of these amphibious vehicles during the flood?

With floodwater levels so high, even the rescue team’s vehicles can’t travel around to carry out rescue missions. So, it is time for these strange-looking vehicles to come to the rescue. These vehicles can be driven both on land and in water and they are literally called amphibious vehicles.

Both the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) have multiple units of these amphibious vehicles in their arsenal to be deployed when the occasion calls for it.

Acquired back in 2016, the Bomba’s vehicle is known as the Amphibious All-Terrain Vehicle 8x8 or simply AATV. The AATV’s engine is capable of 45 PS and 119 Nm so it has a top speed of only 32 km/h.

From what we understand, the AATV’s roof and buoys on the front, left, and right can be dismantled when it is on dry land. If the AATV has to go into the water, these buoys can be easily reinstalled in under 10 minutes.

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For PDRM, instead of AATVs, they have something called the Humdinga. These Humdingas were first purchased back in March 2017, four more units were added to the fleet in May 2019.

Unlike the Bomba’s AATV, the Humdinga can’t be driven off terrain but they can switch between water and land seamlessly as there is nothing that needs to be dismantled.

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The Humdinga was mainly purchased for the Marine Police to use as patrol vehicles. In the Sinar Harian news detailing the arrival of the Humdingas, the units were reportedly spread out to six different operation headquarters in Tampoi, Pengerang, Kuantan, Batu Uban, and Acheh respectively.

If you're wondering why you don't see these vehicles in action, the government has explained that these vehicles are usually stationed in waterways or near the sea, so there was difficulty in getting these vehicles deployed to the Klang Valley and other inland areas fast enough. 

However, one social media user said they’ve spotted one carrying out rescue missions in Taman Sri Muda recently. If you've spotted one of these amphibious vehicles, be sure to snap a few photos!

Also read: So your car was stuck in a flood, now what do you do?