Two dead, 3 feared buried alive in Cameron Highlands landslide
First responders had to walk about 3km to reach the incident site in Malaysia.
The second victim of the landslide in the Cameron Highlands was found at about 12pm on Jan 26, 2024. (Photo: Bernama/Sharul Hafiz Zam)
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KUANTAN: Two people were killed and three others are feared to be buried alive after a landslide struck a house in Malaysia's Cameron Highlands in the early hours of Friday (Jan 26), cutting off road access to the side in the Blue Vally area.
All five are Myanmar nationals aged between 25 and 56.
The body of a man was recovered at about 11am and handed over to the police for further action.
A second victim - another man - was found at 12.05pm, said Cameron Highlands police chief Azri Ramli.
His body was found about 10m from the original location of the house, said Azri.
The bodies are now being removed from the rubble, he said, adding that the five Myanmar nationals have been identified as Shing Lan Har, 56, Shing Aung, 39, Om Myue, 38, Haphey, 36, and Thang Moung, 25.
The Pahang Fire and Rescue Department said it received a distress call at about 2.50am.
The firemen who responded had to trek about 3km to get to the scene, said the department's assistant director of operations, Ismail Abdul Ghani.
"The area is quite dangerous, and at the moment, we are restricting media access until the situation is deemed safe," he added.
The country's special tactical operation and rescue team (STORM) and a K9 unit were subsequently deployed, in addition to special forces from Perak, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said earlier that the landslide location did not fall under the purview of the Malaysian Public Works Department.
"However, (the department) will also assist with the operation, especially in the clearing of the landslide at the entrance to the incident area to facilitate search and rescue," he said in a post on X.
Search and rescue (SAR) operations were suspended at 7pm on Friday due to heavy rain, with the Pahang Fire and Rescue Department saying operations will continue at 7am the following day.
“Heavy rain has led to adverse weather conditions, and the soil structure has become unsafe and risky.
“We are ensuring that all SAR team members exit safely from the landslide area,” said the department's deputy director at the disaster control post on Friday evening.
The Cameron Highlands area has seen several landslides in recent days.
A landslide on Jan 19 forced the temporary closure of a road that connects the suburb of Habu to the Boh Tea Estate.
Pahang authorities were also alerted to another landslide on Thursday night at Ulu Sungai Palas. No damage to property or loss of life was reported.
