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Penang landslide: About 200 in search-rescue op, K-9 unit dispatched

Two construction workers have perished while one has been injured and at least 10 others are believed to have been buried alive in a landslide that occurred this afternoon at Paya Terubong, Penang.

The two killed in the incident, which happened at 1.56 pm, have been identified as Indonesian Samsul Asman, 19, and Bangladeshi Attrul, 35, said Penang Fire and Rescue Department director Saadon Mokhtar. 

He also said that three of the 10 believed to have been buried alive have been identified based on information from relatives and a colleague.

They are Indonesians Bahktiar and Sobri, whose wives confirmed they were missing, and a Myanmar man, whose disappearance was pointed out by a colleague.

“We were informed that seven other foreign workers are also trapped in the landslide, based on information from their colleagues,” he said at a press conference at the site.

Saadon said the debris was the remains of shattered containers and huts in the debris. The containers had been used to house the workers.

He said it had been confirmed that six containers and a kongsi (makeshift quarters) had stood on the hillslope where the landslide occurred and did not discount the possibility that other containers had fallen under the debris.

“I was informed that there were (a number of) kongsi close to the containers but I cannot confirm how many have been buried in the landslide,” he said.

He said the landslide triggered earth movement that caused the containers and kongsi to slide down with the debris for about 50 metres.

Saadon said the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team of Malaysia (STORM) from the Kedah and Perlis Fire and Rescue Department is helping in the operation which is expected to go on late into the night, depending on the weather and light.

He said they would also enlist the help of the K-9 sniffer dog unit from the Fire and Rescue Service headquarters in Putrajaya which is on its way and expected to arrive later tonight.

He said the search-and-rescue teams, comprising about 200 people, are having difficulty operating safely because of the soft ground and soil movement and lack of space for heavy machinery to get to the scene.

The search-and-rescue personnel are from various agencies, including the police, Health Ministry medical teams, Civil Defence Force, Penang City Council, project contractor and volunteer firefighters, he said.

Last Thursday, 14 concrete beams, 25 metres long, collapsed at a hillslope at the project site in Jalan Bukit Kukus. No one was injured and there was no damage to public property.

Jalan Bukit Kukus links Paya Terubong to Bandar Baru Air Itam. The hill road passes through housing areas.

Jalan Perak Fire and Rescue Department Zone 1 chief Mohd Tarmizi Md Jaafar said the department was alerted to the landslide at 1.57 pm.

Mohd Tarmizi said it was not raining when the incident happened but water was flowing downhill in the area as a result of heavy rain yesterday evening.

Meanwhile, an Indonesian worker who identified himself as Muhyiddin, 39, said his uncle and aunt, in their 40s, are trapped in the landslide.

Muhyiddin, who hails from Sulawesi, said his uncle and aunt and two other relatives lived in the containers.

The Penang City Council, in a statement, said it regretted the incident.

“An in-depth investigation and further action will be taken,” it said.


Meanwhile, a group of foreigners, believed to be family members and friends of victims of the landslide, gathered at the project site gate to obtain the latest updates on the incident.

They started arriving at 3.30pm, for news on the victims but as of 5.30pm, there was still no update.

Indonesian labourer, Kasran Rajuni said he hoped for the safety of his friends from his village who are feared to be buried in the landslide

Kasran, 28, of Kota Bau-Bau, North Sulawesi, said he last met up with his friends about two months ago.

"I was shocked when I told of the incident and I immediately rushed here from Batu Maung,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Consulate is gathering details on the actual number of Indonesian victims in the landslide.

“Consulate representatives are already at the location to see the situation and acquire information,” an official said.

He added the victims’ bodies would be repatriated to Indonesia after the post-mortem.

Bernama

 

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