[UPDATED] Batang Kali landslide: larger river ‘sweeper’ team on day five

KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 115 rescue officials are on duty on the fifth day of search-and-rescue operations at the site of the tragic landslide at a campsite in Batang Kali. 

According to a statement from the Fire and Rescue Department, the officials are using eleven heavy machinery units and two sniffer dogs from the K9 unit.

Three officials had taken ill and sustained injury during yesterday’s operation, and are in stable condition, it added.

A “sweeper” team assigned to undertake a search at a river near the “ground zero” has been increased to 28 people compared to seven yesterday.

“The search for victims at the area around the river covers a distance of 3km to 4km, starting from the ground zero to Sg Kedondong,” said the statement.

Meanwhile, Selangor police are recording statements from 53 individuals including victims and their families, it added.

Hulu Selangor district police chief Suffian Abdullah called on the public to pray for the well-being of rescuers who have been working diligently amid the difficult conditions since the incident occurred last Friday.

He added that there has been no positive development in the search for the nine victims still missing as of 10am today.

“The ground-penetrating radar equipment will not be used today but we will instead rely on manpower for this search-and-rescue operation,” he said.  

The heavy equipment used include two PC 210 LC-1OM excavators of the Royal Army Engineers Regiment from Batu Cantonment Camp in Kuala Lumpur, which arrived yesterday.

The nine missing people were among 94 victims who were staying overnight at the Father’s Organic Farm located below the mountainous road linking the twins of Batang Kali and Gohtong Jaya. 

A total of 24 victims have been confirmed dead so far while 61 are known to have survived.

In the 2.42am incident on Friday, the landslide measuring almost 300m long and 70m high came crashing onto the campsite. – The Vibes, December 20, 2022