Malaysia

Batang Kali tragedy: words elude grieving dad

63-year-old Tai Seng Fui can only utter ‘thank you’ to rescuers who found his four deceased family members

Updated 1 year ago · Published on 23 Dec 2022 11:43PM

Batang Kali tragedy: words elude grieving dad — Flowers brought by victims’ family members as appreciation to rescue workers were placed by Fire Department officials in a poignant gesture at the incident site of the landslide tragedy at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Gohtong Jaya, Batang Kali. – SAIRIEN NAFIS/The Vibes pic, December 24, 2022

ALOR GAJAH – Tai Seng Fui, 63, could only utter “thank you” incessantly when four members of his family were found by the search-and-rescue team even though they were long deceased.

As the father to one of the victims, Tan Chang Lin, 35, Tai said he is still coming to terms with the reality of losing his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, all in the blink of an eye after they were buried in a tragic landslide at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite that occurred last Friday.

“A ‘thank you’ to everyone who helped, including the policemen tasked with the solemn journey of transporting the body from Kuala Lumpur to the cremation ceremony (here) this morning,” he said when met at Taman Machap Indah, Machap Baru, here today.

Earlier, the bodies of Tan and his wife Yu Siew Pay, 34, and their two children 7-year-old boy Tai Jing Key and 4-year-old girl Tai Jing Rou, were returned to Melaka from Sg Buloh Hospital at 11.32am today.

Tai Seng Fui, 63, (second, right) who has lost four family members including his son to the Batang Kali landslide can only utter ‘thank you’ incessantly to the search-and-rescue team for their untiring efforts to locate victims of the tragedy. – Screen grab pic, December 23, 2022

The bodies were then taken to the Huai En Memorial Park at Jelutong in Batu Berendam for cremation, while the ashes are expected to be brought back to their residence in Taman Machap Indah tomorrow for the rites of last respects until December 29, before they are interred at the Eternal Berhad Memorial Park, Selandar, in Jasin.

In the meantime, Melaka Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Ali Rustam visited the two victims’ families accompanied by the state’s Unity, Information, Human Resources and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Ngwe Hee Sem; Women’s Affairs, Family Development and Welfare Committee chairman Datuk Kalsom Noordin and Melaka PKR vice-chairman Ginie Lim Siew Lin.

Ali Rustam spent an hour meeting and consoling the two families while also delivering a personal donation to them.

In Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor police chief Suffian Abdullah confirmed that the bodies of four victims found yesterday had been claimed by their kin.

He said the final leg of the search mission involved 97 personnel from the fire brigade, police, army and the Civil Defence Force, with assistance from nine K9 tracker dogs.

The landslide at 2.42am on December 16 had left 61 survivors, 30 deceased while another is still missing out of a total of 92 people.

Suffian said as many as 11 heavy machines were also being used in the search for the last victim which continued at 8am today. – Bernama, December 23, 2022