Batang Kali landslide: Softening ground pose new challenge for SAR team

BATANG KALI: Rescuers at the Father's Organic Farm landslide in Gohtong Jaya today faced a new challenge in their search and rescue (SAR) efforts to locate nine more victims who are still missing.

Besides softening of the ground, the rescuers are also faced with squelchy soil as deep as 16 metres.

"The depth is the highest recorded so far because of the rain yesterday," said Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Hafisham Mohd Noor said

In the 2.42 am incident Friday, a landside measuring almost 300 metres long and 70 metres high came crashing onto the campsite located along the Jalan Genting-Batang Kali.

As of noon Monday, nine victims are still missing while 24 out of 94 people who were at the campsite died in the tragedy.

Hafisham said today's SAR, which started at 8 am, involved 135 rescuers from various agencies focussing their search on the Sector C area (Riverside) and Sector A (Hillview) and areas where SAR efforts have not begun.

"We will dig until we reach the bottom and separate the excavated soil to another spot. I hope the effort will show results as yesterday we were a bit disappointed because despite our efforts we still failed to locate any of the missing victims," he said.

Speaking to reporters at the scene of the tragedy today, he said the rescue team also used eight excavators and several K9 dogs belonging to the Fire and Rescue Department, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) to assist in the search operations.

To ensure the safety of the rescuers on the field, Hafisham said a safety officer position has been created to monitor any soil movement or landslip.

"The safety officer will blow his whistle to alert all personnel at ground zero (field) to save themselves in case of an emergency.

"...but we were informed yesterday from the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM) that the risk of another landslip happening was low. With that information, we are relieved to proceed with our work today," he said.

-- BERNAMA