Three people confirmed killed, number of fatalities expected to rise in Bertam Valley
Astro Awani
November 6, 2014 13:30 MYT
November 6, 2014 13:30 MYT
Continuous heavy rains caused the water levels at Sungai Ringlet to rise causing a mud flood. - Astro AWANI
Three people have been confirmed killed after flash floods and a landslide hit Bertam Valley on Wednesday.
Search and rescue operations personnel unearthed the body of 13-year-old R. Punesh at 9.20am after the body of 48-year-old Indonesian vegetable farm worker, Anipan, at 8.45am.
Cameron Highlands district police chief, DSP Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu told Bernama that to date, three people have been confirmed killed in the incident while five others were injured.
He said the body of the student was found about five kilometres from where he drowned in Sungai Telom, Kuala Terla, Kampung Raja, while Anipan’s body was found buried under a metre of earth.
"The victim is believed to have failed in his attempt to escape from the landslide," he told Bernama adding that Anipan's wife, known as Tsunami, 41, managed to escape and was unhurt.
More than 200 people were affected by the mud flood which hit Wednesday evening. - Astro AWANI/Shahir Omar
Search and rescue operations continued continued Thursday, with focus been given to Bertam Valley.
They involved the police, Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Department, Rela, Drainage and Irrigation Department, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, and Cameron Highlands District Council, and army personnel from the Tapah Camp.
The Fire and Rescue Department team, known as Storm with 20 personnel, began its operations at 7am Thursday morning to locate missing victims, most of which are believed to have been buried under the mud or swept away by flood waters.
Operations chief Shahrul Nizam Nasir said, the victims are believed to be a 45-year-old Indonesian national and a 13-year-old local.
The incident affected 203 people from 47 families in Kampung Baru and Lembah Bertam, with 20 houses and 20 vehicles damaged.
"The management of the Sultan Abu Bakar Dam had announced to the police about releasing water via Sungai Bertam when the water level reached 35.9 feet due to heavy rain.
“To avoid any untoward incident, the residents were evacuated to the community hall in Ringlet and the operation was completed at 8pm.
"At the moment, the situation is under control and the weather is fine," he said.
The aftermath of the mud flood at Cameron Highlands. - Astro AWANI
Yesterday, a 66-year-old Nepalese vegetable farm worker, Md Yousuf Miya, was killed in the incident, and his body found buried in Jalan Ulu Merah, Ringlet, at 8.30pm.
According to Pahang Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Morni Mamat, several people were also injured in the incident.
The victims' bodies and those injured in the incident have been sent to the Sultanah Hajah Kalsom Hospital in Tanah Rata.
The mud flood was caused by continuous heavy downpour, causing the water level at the Sungai Ringlet to rise and breach its banks at around 7pm.
Some 20 homes were inundated whole several cars washed away in the incident. - Astro AWANI/Shahir Omar
Meanwhile, the Cameron Highlands Rescue and Fire Department chief has urged the residents living in the Bertam Valley to always be alert and vigilant for the warnings issued by the authorities due to rising water levels at the Bertam Dam.
The affected area is only about four kilometres from where a mudslide hit the Bertam Valley which killed four people and damaged more than 100 houses on October 23 last year.
A boy from Kampung Kuala Kelah had been reported missing in the incident. - Astro AWANI/Shahir Omar
Some 150 residents have been relocated following the incident. - Astro AWANI/Shahir Omar
Meanwhile a Bernama report said about 150 people from 37 families residing at Ringlet New Village were evacuated to the Ringlet multipurpose hall at 10pm Wednesday.
Residents were evacuated to the Ringlet multipurpose hall. - Astro AWANI/Shahir Omar
Electricity to the affected villages had also been cut off following the incident.