AMPANG – Nearly 50 families staying near the landslide site in Taman Bukit Permai, Ampang have been told to evacuate immediately as Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari this morning declared the area a disaster zone.
He said in a press conference that the Public Works Department and Institut Kerja Raya Malaysia will assess if the area is safe for residents after the debris is cleared.
He added that the state will be providing aid of RM10,000 to each of the surviving families of the four victims.
The three victims killed in the landslide at Taman Bukit Permai in Ampang yesterday evening had attempted to escape from their houses but to no avail, said Selangor fire department chief Norazam Khamis.
Speaking to reporters at the scene this morning, he said the third, fourth, and fifth casualties did not make it to safety after they were hit by debris during the landslide.
“We believe that these victims tried to get out of their houses but were hit by the landslide. The victims were found to be buried in at least four to five feet of soil.”
Police later revealed the identities of the landslide victims after their kin made positive identification earlier today.
The victims are A. Mahendra, 36; E. Ramasamy, 58; Mohd Saifullah Ridzuan Ishak, 34; and Chong Siew Kim, 85. Cheng Kim Cheng, 85 is being treated at Ampang Hospital.
He also said the two houses nearest to the landslide that took place after torrential rains are completely ruined.
Meanwhile, it is understood that an earlier incident involving boulders that fell from a nearby hill at Taman Bukit Permai Apartment, Pandan Indah on Wednesday is not related to this landslide.
Norazam said 127 firefighters with the help of the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council, Rela members and Civil Defence Force were deployed yesterday after the incident occurred to carry out the search-and-rescue (SAR) operation.
“This included 80 officers from the Malaysian Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team and 15 officers from the Detective Dog Unit along with three police dogs.”
He said his team will be on standby until this evening in preparation for any eventualities although the SAR operation ended early this morning.
The landslide claimed four lives while another victim escaped with light injuries in an incident that also affected 15 homes and 10 vehicles.
The SAR operation for the five victims began as soon as nine firemen from the Pandan Fire and Rescue station arrived at the scene after receiving a distress call at 5.54pm.
The first victim, an 84-year-old man, was pulled out at 6.54pm. He escaped with minor injuries but his wife, however, was found dead at 7.53pm before her body was pulled out at 9.15pm.
About an hour and a half after that, at 10.58pm, the body of the third victim, a male resident, was extricated from the debris.
The SAR operation ended at 2am after Ampang Jaya district police chief Mohamad Farouk Eshak confirmed that rescuers had found the bodies of the last two victims, both males, one of whom was a worker of Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd.
Their bodies were found at 12.46am and 1.59am respectively. – The Vibes, March 11, 2022
