BATANG KALI – The search-and-rescue operation of the landslide tragedy at the campsite of Father’s Organic Farm, Gohtong Jaya, which ended today, left a profound effect on the various members of the rescuing team.
Hulu Selangor Fire and Rescue Department head Ahmadi Muhamad Hasan said apart from the physical exertion, the emotions of personnel was also affected during the nine-day search-and-rescue operation.
Recalling the efforts to search for victims of the tragedy, he said the soft earth and rainy weather also hampered movements and demanded the perseverance of rescuers.
“It cannot be denied that the emotion of the team at ground zero is sometimes severely challenged when they failed to find any victim or new indications on their whereabouts submerged under the landslide earth,” he said at the incident post here today.
Ahmadi said the rescuers were given mental therapy and words of encouragement to raise their morale to continue looking for victims.
Despite the discovery of the bodies of four family members who were the 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th victims on the seventh day of the search, he said the search-and-rescue operation continued to face difficulties.
“To find just one more victim in a very wide area of almost 15 acres is very difficult,” he said.
Ahmadi said that in addition to digging and excavation works involving excavators, rescue workers with tracking dogs had to search the same area many times to locate victims.
“Thank God, finally at around 4.30pm yesterday, we managed to find the last body.
“As a rescue team, finding a victim is the most effective medicine to remove all our fatigue,” he said.
Earlier, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani officially ended the search-and-rescue operation for the victims of the landslide tragedy at noon, after he confirmed that there were no more victims involved or missing in the incident.
In the early morning incident on December 16, a total of 92 victims were involved, 61 of whom survived, while 31 died. Of the number of casualties, 18 were adults and 13 were children, including a 1-year-old baby.
In total, 20 bodies were found in sector A (hill view), one in sector B (farm view) and another 10 in sector C (river side). – Bernama, December 25, 2022
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