KUALA LUMPUR: The “miracle baby” and her mother who survived the 1993 Highland Towers incident were finally reunited with their rescuer during an interview today.
In the tearful reunion, Nur Hamidah Nadjib, 24, who was rescued when she was just 18 months old, was reunited with one of her rescuers, Tan Sri Zaman Khan, in a special interview with TV9 at Sri Pentas this morning.
The two had not met each other since the day Nur Hamidah was rescued.
Zaman, who was then the Federal police Criminal Investigation Department director had, earlier this month, expressed his intention of meeting the baby he saved during the tragedy on Dec 11, 1993.
“If there were no pictures (viral pictures of Zaman Khan holding Nur Hamidah up high), she might not even remember what happened. Although she was trapped in the rubble, there were no bruises or visible injuries on her body and she did not cry,” he said.
In the same interview, Nur Hamidah’s mother, Umi Rasyidah Khoiruman, 43, the only other survivor of the tragedy, repeatedly thanked Zaman and Malaysian authorities for saving her daughter.
Nur Hamidah reached Malaysia from Surabaya, Indonesia, this morning to meet the Malaysian rescue team who saved her in the tragedy, 23 years ago.
She was accompanied by Umi Rasyidah, her sister Iftitahun Nabilah, 22, and her husband Zahroni Ahda Ghoni Pratama, 26.
They were welcomed by her father, Nadjib Mustahar, 53.
It was earlier reported a fireman involved in the rescue effort, Norizan Saad was seeking to reconnect with a woman they rescued as a baby during the tragedy.
Hamidah is expected to meet Norizan tomorrow.
On Dec 11, 1993, a 12-storey block of the Highland Towers condominium in Taman Hillview, Ulu Kelang, collapsed after 10 days of continuous rain.
The incident killed 48 people, including 12 foreigners, and resulted in a complete evacuation of the remaining two blocks due to safety concerns.
The tragedy made headlines in many countries, leading to several sending teams to help with rescue efforts. These included teams from Singapore, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan.
Rescue teams worked endlessly for nine days before the mission was called off.
Blocks 2 and 3 of Highland Towers are still visible today, but they remain abandoned.