[EXCLUSIVE] Indefatigable rescuers shine in gloomy search for survivors
Officials persevere through treacherous terrain, wild weather in gruelling mission
Updated 1 year ago · Published on 25 Dec 2022 8:00AM
A rescuer from the Fire and Rescue Department prays silently during the gruelling eighth day of search-and-rescue operations at the Batang Kali landslide site. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022
by Sairien Nafis
KUALA LUMPUR – It has been a long and heart-wrenching nine days of searching for victims of the deadly landslide at Batang Kali, which only ended yesterday when the final missing person was found, putting an end to the gruelling operation.
The Vibes chief photographer SAIRIEN NAFIS captured in intimate detail the persistence and unenviable exertion of the search members, mostly from the Fire and Rescue Department.
On his second stint at the scene on the eighth day of the search, he watched in complete awe at how the search-and-rescue team still remained high-spirited, labouring tirelessly in order to locate the 11-year-old boy under the thick, muddy debris.
Theeighth day of the mission on Friday, which began as early as around 8am, had to be halted temporarily as rain started pouring at about 5pm – and only resumed at about 8pm until midnight.
Despite the frequent change of weather and the slippery mud, he saw the undying commitment of the search-and-rescue officials – which included several women and certainly the irreplaceable tracker dogs from the K9 unit relentlessly hard at work.
We mourn this disaster and honour the memory of the deceased victims.
In doing so, the entire nation should also take our hats off to the unsung heroes who served indefatigably and with selfless determination to retrieve the innocent people who suffered the tragedy .
The final victim was reported found yesterday, taking the death toll to 31, consisting of 14 women, six men, seven boys, and four girls.
The Vibes brings you close-up images of the search operations on Friday as officials doggedly looked for the last victim who was believed to be the 11-year-old son of a SJK (C) Mun Choong canteen operator. – The Vibes, December 25, 2022
Tracker dogs from the K9 unit hard at work facing all terrain and weather in their search for the final missing person of the Batang Kali landslide tragedy. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022Fire and Rescue Department rescuers searching for the last missing person, believed to be an 11-year-old boy, in the aftermath of the Batang Kali landslide tragedy which happened on December 16. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022Excavators being used to assist rescue workers in the eighth day of search-and-rescue operations at the Batang Kali landslide location near Gohtong Jaya. The early morning disaster claimed the lives of 31 people. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022Rescue workers comb through cars wrecked by the landslide at a campsite situated in Father’s Organic Farm at Batang Kali. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022Rescuers pin a teddy bear, believed to belong to one of the young victims, onto an excavator to keep their spirits strong in their mission to find the final Batang Kali landslide victim. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022A Fire and Rescue officer pauses to recollect himself and regain energy in his pursuit to find the final victim which is believed to be an 11-year-old son of a canteen operator. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022The forest overlooks the gloomy search-and-rescue site of the December 16 Batang Kali campsite landslide tragedy. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022A Fire and Rescue officer holds one of the tools needed to dig through the mud. Rescue workers banded together, regardless of age or gender, in an exhausting mission to comb through the landslide tragedy site at Father’s Organic Farm. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022Army personnel refuel the excavators used in the eighth day of search-and-rescue operations, with the skies beginning to turn dark as the last missing person is yet to be located. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022Fire and Rescue officers gear up to wade through muddy conditions on Friday with K9 unit partners. The natural disaster uprooted trees and drastically changed the landscape of the site. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022High-powered mobile searchlights being used to light the operations scene at night as search resumes at about 8pm on Friday. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022A Fire and Rescue officer carries a searchlight as he is joined by other rescuers, including a SMART officer (blue uniform) to resume the search for the last landslide victim at about 8pm, after temporarily halting at about 5pm. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022Rescuers look on as an excavator digs through metres of thick mud to find the final victim of the Batang Kali landslide disaster. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022Several vehicles found completely wrecked after the landslide. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022Rescuers tread through dangerous terrain, climbing fallen trees in the dark of the night after search-and-rescue operations resume at about 8pm last night. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022Fire and Rescue officers, as well as army personnel, help each other in a joint mission with other agencies. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 25, 2022
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