Batang Kali landslide Malaysia's second-deadliest disaster - official

 

The landslide at the Father’s Organic Farm in Batang Kali on Dec 16 is Malaysia’s second-worst disaster in terms of fatalities, after the Highland Towers condominium collapse in 1993 which claimed 48 lives, according to the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart).

Thirty-one people were killed in the 2.30am landslide but 61 survived after tonnes of earth came crashing down on the farm campsite. Eighteen of those killed were adults while 13 were children.

Smart commander Mohd Khairul Jamil said he was shocked by the number of victims in the landslide when they received an emergency call in the wee hours of that day.

“In previous landslides, only three or four people were involved, and when told that nearly 100 victims were involved this time I was shocked.

“I then ordered a team of 10 personnel led by Smart Heavy USAR sector head Mohamad Hafiezul Abdul Halim to go to the incident location. This Batang Kali incident is the second-biggest in terms of the number of victims who perished, after Highland Towers,” he said on Bernama TV’s Apa Khabar Malaysia programme today.

Meanwhile, Hafiezul said his team’s task at the incident location was to assist and advise search and rescue (SAR) works so it could be carried out more effectively.

He said among the equipment carried by his team on the first day of the incident were structural movement sensors used in monitoring earth movements, which could endanger the lives of rescuers.

“Our team, among other things, was tasked with giving advice regarding the use of heavy machinery in the area covered with sand and debris of about 20 metres deep,” he added.

On preparations to tackle floods, Khairul said two Smart teams had been dispatched to help related agencies in Terengganu and Kelantan.

He said among the assets carried by the Smart teams to these two states were boats, lorries, and equipment used in the evacuation of flood victims.

“Alhamdulillah, the teams deployed have been discharging their duties excellently to help other government agencies in rescuing victims,” he said.

- Bernama