KUANTAN, Jan 26 — One man died while four others are feared to have been buried alive following a landslide early today at Batu 59, Blue Valley, Cameron Highlands.
Pahang Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Ismail Abdul Ghani said the department received a distress call at 2.51am and that the search and rescue operation is still ongoing.
“Based on preliminary information, there are three adult men and one adult woman still buried in the landslide. However, their identities have yet to be ascertained,” he said in a statement.
Ismail said the nine firemen who were initially rushed to the location had to walk about three kilometres to get to the landslide location.
Later, Ismail said the body of the male Myanmar citizen has been pulled out from the landslide site at 11.05am, and that the victim’s body has been handed over to the police for further action.
He said the search and rescue operation for the remaining four victims is ongoing.
“The area is quite dangerous, and at the moment, we are restricting media access until the situation is deemed safe,” he said, adding that all the victims are foreign workers.
The Cameron Highlands District Disaster Management Committee confirmed that all five victims are Myanmar nationals aged between 25 and 56.
They are Shing Lan Har, 56; Shing Aung, 39; Om Myue, 38; Haphey, 36, and Thang Moung, 25.
“Cameron Highlands police were alerted to the incident at 2.10am on Friday and rushed to the location to inspect and coordinate the search and rescue (SAR) operation.
“Inspection found that the landslide has cut off access to the scene which is accessible only by four-wheel vehicles,” it said in a statement.
The committee also advised the public not to speculate about the incident and contact the operations room at 05-4915999 or the nearest police station if they have any information.
Meanwhile, Pahang Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Wan Mohammad Zaidi Wan Isa said the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team and K9 unit had been deployed to the scene of the incident.
He said they were also assisted by special forces from Perak, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
“All the victims, including a woman, are believed to be living in a house that was buried in the landslide,” he said in a statement.
In a related development, he said the department also received a report of a landslide incident in Ulu Sungai Palas, Cameron Highlands at 9.33pm yesterday, but it did not involve any casualties or damage.
— Bernama
