IPOH: The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat is still in danger of being hit by more landslides.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said the Minerals and Geoscience Department had conducted a field assessment and determined that the limestone hillslide facing the resort was still unstable.
He said there was still soil movement and minor landslips occurring, adding that there were also large exposed blocks of limestone measuring 5-10m in length "hanging" precariously over the edge of the area affected by the landslide.
These, said Shamsul Anuar, were in danger of collapse at any time.
"Initial Investigations carried out by the department found that the affected landslide involved an area of the limestone hill roughly 5,000 sq m in size, from the height of between 50 and 100m due to incessant heavy rain.
"There is still water flowing from cracks along the slope," he said in a statement.
As such, Shamsul Annuar said the ministry was advising all quarters to take precautionary measures.
"The ministry through (the department) will continue to assist the local authorities in monitoring the stability of the slopes in the area and provide safety advice and development planning on hillsides in accordance with the Guidelines For Determining Danger Zones Around Limestone Hills," he said.
It was reported that a continuous downpour since Monday had triggered the landslide which struck the Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat in Tambun here, killing two guests.
After almost 10 hours of search operations, authorities managed to retrieve the body of Ooi Chee Wei, 39 at 10.05am and and Lee Tze Juin, 32, about 13 minutes later.
The remains were found in the jacuzzi room of the villa, which was struck by the landslide at 1am.