KUALA LUMPUR - THE body of a fifth victim of the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide was found buried under a metre of rubble on Tuesday.

It is believed the body is that of a Sri Lankan maid, Mery Thuraisamy, who was reported missing after the landslide.

The body was found 30m to 40m away from the house of veterinarian Dr N. Yogeswari, who was also killed in the landslide tragedy on Dec 6.

Close relatives of Dr Yogeswari who were at the site when the body was found, claimed it was that of Mery, based on the bed on which the body was found and a band on the wrist.

However, police were unable to ascertain if the highly-decomposed body, found in pieces by police and debris cleaners, belonged to a man or woman.

Ampang Jaya deputy OCPD Supt Amiruddin Jamaluddin said the body, in a pink T-shirt, was discovered at about 6.45pm.

Police and firemen who were observing the cleaning up of the area, were shocked to find a hand during the process.

'We kept on looking for more of the body parts and we managed to gather all,' he said when met at the scene.

Supt Amiruddin said relatives of Dr Yogeswari identified the mattress and bed sheet found next to the body but failed to identify if the remains belonged to Mery.

'We have sent the body to KL Hospital for a post mortem,' Supt Amiruddin said, adding that police were waiting for the results to identify the body. -- THE STAR