Search and rescue operations for Batang Kali landslide victims enter fourth day

KUALA LUMPUR - Search and rescue operations for victims of a massive landslide in Batang Kali continued for a fourth day on Monday, which saw the leader of the rescue mission rushed to hospital for exhaustion and a minor stroke.

The director of the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, Datuk Norazam Khamis, who has been co-leading the rescue mission, was conscious and in stable condition after being taken to the hospital at 6pm, the fire department said.

Nine people are still missing following a landslide at Father’s Organic Farm in the early hours of last Friday that has claimed the lives of 24 people so far.

The search was widened beyond ground zero of the landslide to a river on the campsite grounds, but turned up no sign of the missing victims.

“We have dug up to the original land but we have yet to find any sign (of) the victims,” said Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations Hafisham Mohd Noor.

A team focused on searching the murky areas of the river, while potential sites had been surveyed, all to no avail, he said.

Rescue operations were expected to continue late into the night as the weather conditions remained good.

Soft ground and mud as deep as 16m are making it difficult for rescuers to carry out their work.

“The depth is the highest recorded so far because of the rain yesterday,” Mr Hafisham said earlier on Monday.

“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 missing victims,” he said.

High soil saturation and pressure from the accumulation of underground water beneath the campsite in Batang Kali had led to the deadly landslide, the Public Works Department said. 

Initial investigations indicated that there were two slope failures at the location, which happened some 20 to 30 minutes apart.

“The first slope failure most likely occurred at the camping site. The failure caused the area at the foot of the slope to weaken, resulting in the occurrence of another larger collapse,” the department said.

“Active underground water flow is detected in the area where the slope collapsed, especially in the campsite area.”

The area that collapsed is estimated to be 70m high, 120m wide and 330m long, with an estimated 450,000 cubic metres of rubble soil.

According to the department, there was no problem in the drainage system at the section of the road from the direction of Gohtong Jaya to Batang Kali, where the shoulder collapsed.

It said short-term repairs have been done to tension cracks lengthwise on the left lane leading to Batang Kali to prevent further collapse.

A detailed ground investigation would be carried out as soon as the search and rescue operations are completed.

All high-risk slope areas in the state are being checked during the rainy season, said Perak Infrastructure, Energy, Water and Public Transport executive chairman Nizar Jamaluddin. These include 239 areas categorised as very high-risk, and 211 as high-risk.

He also identified three “very critical” federal roads at risk of landslides: Jalan Tapah-Cameron Highland, Jalan Baling Grik (along the East-West Highway) and Jalan Simpang Pulai-Blue Valley.

Datuk Seri Nizar said sensors and rain gauges have been installed in critical locations, which will relay warnings to the department so emergency action, including road closures, can be carried out.