[LIVE] Batang Kali tragedy day two: search operations to continue till 4am

KUALA LUMPUR – A holiday camping trip turned into a nightmare when a massive landslide hit the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Batang Kali around 2am yesterday.

This has resulted in nearly 500 search-and-rescue personnel working against the clock to save a total of 94 people. As of 7.26pm today, 24 bodies have been recovered and 61 rescued, while five are in hospital receiving treatment.

The Vibes brings you live updates as the tragedy enters the second day. – The Vibes, December 17, 2022

9.49pm – Police say that search-and-rescue operations will continue tonight until 4am, weather permitting, reports Bernama. The operation will then resume at 9am tomorrow.

9.10pm – The bodies of four more victims have been brought out of the forensic department at Sg Buloh Hospital and taken away by hearse vans. With this, a total of 14 victims have been claimed by their next of kin.

According to Astro Awani, the bodies of 10 more victims will undergo autopsies tonight and only be released tomorrow.

9.03pm – Astro Awani reports that one of the deceased, Nurul Azwani, was a canteen worker at SJK (C) Mun Choong and had joined a group from the school for a camping trip at Father’s Organic Farm. 

Family members met at Sg Buloh Hospital said she will be buried tonight at Tanah Perkuburan Taman Selasih in Gombak.

She was among the six victims whose identities were released by the National Disaster Management Agency earlier today.

8.17pm – Acryl Sani says volunteers and non-governmental organisations are not allowed to help in areas where search-and-rescue teams are operating.

7.57pm – Another hearse van from Nirvana Memorial has left Sg Buloh Hospital at 7.38pm. This would be the eighth body identified and claimed by family members. At the time of writing, there are still two other hearse vans waiting in the area.

7.26pm – IGP Acryl Sani confirms that the body of the girl, whose age has yet to be determined, was found in the Hillview search area (Sector A) at 4.05pm.

“The body will be sent to Sg Buloh Hospital for a post-mortem evaluation,” he tells reporters after visiting the site. 

So far, seven children have been confirmed to have died in the landslide tragedy.

“I have instructed Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief Baharudin Mat Taib to head the probe into the landslide,” he says.

6.06pm – The operator of the Father’s Organic Farm campsite will be called in to facilitate police investigations, says Acryl Sani.

He adds that the Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief will lead the probe.

6.03pm – Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani arrives at the Batang Kali operations centre at 5.25pm for a briefing on the latest updates from the search-and-rescue operation.

5.33pm – The four victims in Selayang Hospital are in stable condition, says Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

Petang ini, YB Menteri Kesihatan Dr. @Zaliha_DrZ bersama YB Dato’ Seri @drwanazizah dan Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Tan Sri @DGHisham berada di Hospital Selayang untuk melawat keluarga mangsa bencana tanah runtuh di tapak perkhemahan Father's Organic Farm, Batang Kali. pic.twitter.com/pYeZw57syd

— KKMalaysia??? (@KKMPutrajaya) December 17, 2022

5.32pm – There are a total of 128 search-and-rescue personnel on duty at the moment, says the Fire Department’s operations centre.

5.28pm – Another five Nirvana hearse vans leave Sg Buloh Hospital. This brings the number of bodies that have been identified and claimed by their families today to seven. It is understood that the identification process for the remaining deceased is still ongoing.

5.23pm – The 24th body has been found. She is a female child. The remains were recovered at 4.05pm and brought out by 4.26pm, according to the Fire Department. This leaves another nine victims unaccounted for.

4.45pm – A second hearse van, this time from Nirvana Memorial, has left Sg Buloh Hospital. The victim is believed to be a friend of Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng. A distraught Lim, along with close friends and family, was seen accompanying the body as it was loaded into the vehicle.

4.34pm – Bandar Tun Razak MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail drops by Selayang Hospital to visit landslide victims receiving medical treatment there.

4.26pm – A hearse van from Xiao En Memorial Park ferrying one of the victims has left Sg Buloh Hospital. Prior to the departure, Buddhist prayers for the deceased could be heard as hospital staff and family members loaded the body into the van.

3.51pm – Three hearse vans from Nirvana Memorial have arrived at Sg Buloh Hospital. It is learnt that several bodies of the deceased have been identified and are ready to be claimed by their families.

3.35pm – Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said his ministry will look into the Batang Kali incident holistically.

“We will look into the matter holistically based on the reports that we received. I understand the matter could be an issue of overdevelopment but heavy rainfall could also be a factor.

“I do not want to speculate but we will look into the matter,” he said at the sidelines of an event here.

3.20pm – Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) chief General Tan Sri Mohd Asghar Khan Goriman Khan said they are prepared to join in the search-and-rescue operation in Batang Kali.

“RMAF is always ready to deploy its personnel and assets to help in rescue operations,” he told reporters after a graduation ceremony for 30 trainees of flying courses at the Air Force College in Alor Star.

3.00pm – Three victims who were treated at Kuala Kubu Baru Hospital have been released. Three in Sg Buloh Hospital and one in Kuala Lumpur Hospital are still warded.

2.47pm – The campsite operator will be summoned to give statements, police have confirmed.

2.45pm – A police transport believed to be ferrying two bodies from the incident site has arrived at Sg Buloh Hospital.

2.40pm – According to police, the two bodies recovered today are being sent to Sg Buloh Hospital’s forensic department.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Norazam Khamis said the rescuers believed that the two bodies recovered today are of a mother and her boy.

“Digging into the landslide debris continues in Sector B and A. The bodies found today were about 3ft deep. The use of excavators is expected to expedite our rescue work,” he said.

2.09pm – The National Disaster Management Agency has released the names of the victims who have been identified as of 7am today.

2pm – Two bodies – a woman and a boy – have been brought out from the rubble at 1.02pm according to the Fire and Rescue Department. 

It is believed that they were put in a police transport to be brought to a hospital. This brings the death toll to 23.

1.50pm – Fadhlina says the Education Ministry will continue to provide psychosocial support to the affected families. 

She also urged for the families’ personal space to be respected while the identification process is being carried out.

1.42pm – Hulu Selangor Municipal Council president Mohd Hasry Nor Mohd says in a press conference in the search-and-rescue operations centre that many of the 25 campsites in the district’s high-risk areas are in the process of applying for permits.

1.25pm – Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek bypasses a group of journalists by using a different entrance at the Sg Buloh Hospital. She arrives at 12.30pm and is believed to have attended a briefing by hospital staffers and met with grieving family members.

1.20pm – Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman urges the Pahang government to review all hillside projects and those in landslide-prone areas.

She also called on tourism operators in high-risk areas to monitor for cracks as well as conditions of nearby rivers and seas.

“I hope the Batang Kali-Genting Highlands road will be repaired soon as the residents and workers depend on the main road to get around. The alternative route takes much longer and costs more in fuel and toll fees,” she said in a statement today.

12.45pm – Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Norazam Khamis refuses to rule out more survivors as they could be under piles of branches or rocks with pockets of air. 

He also admitted that chances of survival are slim as the victims could have run out of air or suffocated when they were swept away by the landslide.

12.30pm – Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek is scheduled to visit family members at Sg Buloh Hospital at 12.45pm today.

12.15pm – The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department says the exact location of the 12 missing victims has yet to be determined. Department director Datuk Norazam Khamis likened the soil conditions at the incident site to “soaked bread”, which poses a challenge for rescuers.

12.00pm – Police say in a press conference in Batang Kali that the 21 bodies found have no personal identification documents on them, and urge family members to come forward.

11.30am – A volunteer with Tzu Chi Foundation Malaysia at Sg Buloh Hospital tells the media that some family members are “holding on to hope” despite being told of their loved ones’ demise.

Volunteer Tan Chee Wei said some 50 people from the organisation have been providing meals and support to the affected victims and grieving family members since yesterday.

10.46am – Selangor Fire and Rescue Department chief Datuk Norazam Khamis says search-and-rescue operations will be concentrated at Sector B (Farmview camp) and Sector C (near the Riverside camp).

“This is based on the location we found the last victim at yesterday. We are bringing in excavators to clear the area of mud and fallen trees.

“However, this will depend on current weather conditions.

“While there are no land movements, water is still flowing underground, which poses a danger to rescuers,” he added.

10.34am – Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh arrives at Sg Buloh Hospital at 10.02am to visit grieving family members who lost their loved ones in the landslide.

10.30am – Raja Muda Selangor Tengku Amir Shah arrives at the search-and-rescue operation centre in Batang Kali at 10.19am. 

He spent about 40 minutes at the operations centre being briefed by Selangor police chief Datuk Arjunaidi Mohamed and Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Norazam Khamis.

10.22am – The Nirvana Foundation says it will provide free Buddhist, Taoist, and Christian funeral services for the landslide victims. For further information, the public can call 012-357-5880.

9.58am – The Johor Forestry Department orders all eco-parks, hiking trails and four-wheel drive paths in forest reserves to be closed to the public starting today.

9.20am – The Foreign Affairs Ministry says in a statement that three Singaporeans were found safe following the landslide tragedy.

9.15am – Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Norazam Khamis tells the New Straits Times that search-and-rescue operations only stopped at 4am.

The search-and-rescue operations are divided into Sector A Hill View, Sector B, Farm View, and Sector C Riverside, with a focus on Sector A and Sector B.

9.10am – Members of the media are starting to gather at Sg Buloh Hospital’s forensic department for updates on the identification of 21 bodies.

9.00am – Pahang Forestry Department closes down all campsites by rivers and in high-risk locations, such as hillsides and waterfalls. No date was given for the resumption of such activities.

8.00am – Rescue work resumes with the K9 unit, Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team, and Emergency Medical Rescue Services from the Bukit Sentosa, Ampang, Pandan, Kota Anggerik, Kajang and Andalas stations.

12.01am – The search-and-rescue operations for the remaining victims in the landslide incident at the Fathers’ Organic Farm campsite in Gohtong Jaya have been suspended due to rain. Hulu Selangor district police chief Suffian Abdullah said the rescue operations will resume at 8am today.

Additional reporting by Danial Dzulkifly