Batang Kali tragedy: son of school’s canteen operator still missing

KUALA LUMPUR – An 11-year-old boy, who is the son of the SJK (C) Mun Choong canteen operator, remains unaccounted for following the landslide in Batang Kali last Friday.

Of the 26 found dead as of yesterday, six were teachers and canteen workers while the rest were their friends, said the school’s parent-teacher association (PTA) head U Chin Ong.

“Those in our group are accounted for except the 11-year-old boy. We are also planning to hold a memorial service for the victims.

“But we will have to wait for some of the families to complete their funeral services and for the rest of the victims to be found. 

“The ceremony will include the canteen workers and teachers as they are part of the school,” he told Harian Metro after receiving a RM50,000 contribution from Gadang Holdings Bhd at the school today.

He said the PTA has yet to know the total contributions made by individuals and corporations but Gadang Holdings’ was the highest so far.

“After setting up a donation box, the school has received contributions from Malaysians and even from Singaporeans.”

Meanwhile, he has denied that the PTA was working with any non-governmental organisations to raise funds for the affected families.

The remains of four more victims were recovered at the Batang Kali landslide site this morning, bringing the death toll to 30, said the National Disaster Management Agency.

Following this new development, three victims remain unaccounted for.

It is believed that the bodies found today were those of a boy, a girl, a man, and a woman.

According to police, the four bodies were brought out of the search zone at 11.51am and sent to Sg Buloh Hospital for post-mortem and identification.

The Fire and Rescue Department said the four were recovered in Sector C (Riverside).

It added that the total 30 bodies recovered at the site were those of 14 women, six men, six boys, and four girls. – The Vibes, December 22, 2022