Tragic Landslide Claims One Life, Four Feared Buried Alive In Cameron Highlands
Three men and one woman are still buried beneath the rubble.
By Adrian Lai — 26 Jan 2024, 01:01 PM
A devastating landslide struck Cameron Highlands this morning, 26 January, leaving one Myanmar national dead and four others buried alive
Pahang police and the state Fire and Rescue Department were alerted to the incident in the wee hours of Friday morning.
A rescue team swiftly conducted inspections and determined that the incident site was inaccessible, requiring a four-wheel drive vehicle.
The nine firemen dispatched to the location had to traverse approximately three kilometres to reach the landslide site. The incident, which occurred at Kampung Batu 59, Kampung Raja, involved five foreign nationals from Myanmar.
Efforts to locate the remaining four victims, with collaboration from the police, army, and the Malaysia Civil Defense Force (APM), are ongoing.
According to the New Straits Times, the victims have been identified as Shing Lan Har, 56; Shing Aung, 39; Om Myue, 38; Haphey, 36, and Thang Moung, 25.
As of 10am today, one body has been retrieved from the rubble. Preliminary information suggests that three men and one woman are still buried.
Meanwhile, the Cameron Highlands District Disaster Management Agency Committee urged people to refrain from speculation and encouraged those with information to contact the operation centre at 05-491 5999 or the nearest police station.
The Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team (Storm) has been deployed to aid in the search and rescue operation (SAR)
Storm personnel from Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur have enlisted to support the SAR efforts, said Pahang Fire and Rescue Director Datuk Ir Dr Wan Mohammad Zaidi Wan Isa.
He mentioned that prior to the incident, the department had received another distress call concerning a landslide at Ulu Sungai Palas on Thursday.
The incident, which took place near a four-row housing block, occurred at about 9.33pm, but fortunately, no casualties or property damages were reported.
