KUALA LUMPUR – The landslide at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Batang Kali on December 16 is Malaysia’s second worst disaster in terms of fatalities, after the Highland Towers condominium collapse in 1993 which claimed 48 lives, according to the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART).
Thirty-one people were killed in the 2.30am landslide, but 61 survived after tonnes of earth came crashing down on the farm campsite.
Eighteen of those killed were adults and 13 were children, with 20 bodies recovered from sector A, one from sector B, and 10 from sector C.
SMART commander Mohd Khairul Jamil said he was shocked by the number of victims in the landslide when they received an emergency call in the wee hours of that day.
“Only three or four people were involved in previous landslides, and I was shocked when told that about 100 victims were involved this time.
“I then ordered a team of 10 personnel led by SMART Heavy USAR sector head Mohamad Hafiezul Abdul Halim to go to the incident location.
“This incident is the second biggest in terms of the number of victims who perished, after Highland Towers,” he said on Bernama TV’s Rancangan Apa Khabar Malaysia programme today.
Meanwhile, Hafiezul said his team’s task at the incident location was to give assistance in terms of expertise and advice to ensure search-and-rescue efforts were more effective.
He said among the equipment carried by his team on the first day of the incident were structural movement sensors used to monitor earth movements that could endanger the lives of rescuers.
“Our team, among other things, was tasked with giving advice regarding the use of heavy machinery in the area, which was covered with sand and debris about 20m deep,” he added.
On preparations to tackle floods, Khairul said two SMART teams had been dispatched to help related agencies in Terengganu and Kelantan.
He said among the assets carried by the SMART teams to these two states were boats, lorries, and equipment used to evacuate flood victims.
“Alhamdulillah, the teams deployed have been discharging their duties excellently to help other government agencies in rescuing victims,” he said. – Bernama, December 26, 2022
