Death toll in Sabah floods and landslides climbs to 13

KOTA KINABALU – After 18 hours of relentless search and rescue efforts, the body of Kemiey Asphereynda Benny was finally retrieved from the rubble of a landslide that struck her home in the town of Papar in Sabah, Malaysia, on Sept 15.

The 10-year-old was the last victim to be recovered after her mother Wong Moi Ling, 34, and younger brother Christen Kell Benny, six, were found minutes apart earlier in the afternoon.

Rescuers rushed to Kampung Marahang Tuntul after receiving a distress call at about 9.20am. By the time they arrived, the family’s house had already been flattened and swallowed by tonnes of earth.

“They were all trapped under the debris. The first victim was found at 4.20pm, the second five minutes later, and the last at 8.45pm,” said Sabah Fire and Rescue Department director Mohd Pisar Aziz.

Firefighters, soldiers, police and other emergency personnel worked tirelessly through rain and mud, hoping to bring the family out alive. All three were confirmed dead at the scene by Health Ministry officers.

The operation, involving more than a dozen rescuers, ended at 2.05am on Sept 16.

The tragedy adds to the mounting toll from Sabah’s landslides and floods, which have now claimed 13 lives.

In another incident, Ms Emily Johnny, 38, and her 11-year-old son, Xarell Myre Aristotle, were killed when a landslide struck their home in Kampung Mook, also in Papar.

Her husband had earlier made a desperate plea in a 26-second video that went viral, begging for an excavator to save his family.

Hours later, he was seen exhausted and in shock as he identified the bodies of his wife and son.

The worst tragedy occurred in Kampung Cenderakasih, where

11 members of a family were buried

when a landslide flattened their wooden home in a squatter settlement along a hillside.

Four survived, including one with a broken leg, but seven others, comprising three adults and four children, were killed.

The survivors – Mr Arman Abdullah, Mr Fezrul Ikhwan, Mr Abdullah Ayan and a person known as Wajid – were pulled out at 11am.

By 12.37pm, rescuers had recovered the body of Ms Husaima Sarabani, 40, followed by Mr Abdul Halid, 50, and siblings Muhammad Izzan Abdullah, seven, Siti Katijah, four, and Muhamad Khan, two, at 2.25pm.

At 3.28pm, the body of Nur Iman, nine, was recovered and the final victim, Ms Maslinah Abdul Halid, 24, was found at 3.42pm.

On Sept 11, a 97-year-old man became the first victim of the disaster after his semi-permanent double-storey home in Kampung Sarapung, Penampang, was struck by a landslide.

Firefighters had to trek 3km to reach the site after a distress call at about 6.30pm, and recovered his body the following day.

Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor announced the cancellation of state-level Malaysia Day celebrations scheduled for Sept 16 to focus on mobilising aid for thousands displaced by the floods and landslides across at least five districts.

“In this time of difficulty, the well-being, welfare and safety of the people are of utmost importance. We must direct all focus and resources to those affected,” he said on Sept 15.

He also instructed the State Disaster Management Committee to remain on full alert and be prepared for immediate action as weather conditions remain unpredictable.

Meanwhile, according to the Civil Defence Force, the number of evacuees had risen to 2,468 people from 656 families across 95 villages in Beaufort, Penampang, Membakut, Papar and Putatan.

Penampang recorded the highest number with 958 evacuees from 239 families, followed by Membakut with 611 people from 172 families, Putatan with 456 people from 113 families, Beaufort with 273 people from 83 families, and Papar with 170 people from 49 families.

A total of 20 temporary relief centres have been opened: eight in Penampang, four each in Putatan and Membakut, three in Papar and one in Beaufort. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK