KUALA LUMPUR: Angeozeel Andrew, 21, heard a boom similar to thunder before the lorry his friend was driving was covered in a heap of earth when a landslide struck Taman Bukit Permai 2 yesterday.
He said his colleague, A. Mahendran, 37, was one of the four Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) personnel dispatched to the scene to conduct maintenance work around 4.30pm.
"It started raining heavily as we were about to begin our work so we had to delay the job and take shelter in the lorry."
"I and another one of my friends got into the front seats and were about 10 metres away from Mahendran's lorry. There was also another worker in the lorry with him," he said when met by Harian Metro at the site, here in Ampang.
He said Mahendran even managed to take pictures of the location and sent it to the technician.
"We were resting in the lorry when we heard the boom similar to thunder and when I turned to see what had happened and watched in horror as the lorry was covered in earth."
He said three of them managed to save themselves but Mahendran was nowhere to be seen.
"We shouted so those in their homes can run for cover."
Angeozeel however said he was shaken over what happened to Mahendran who he had known for a year, since the time he started working in Air Selangor.
"I was close to him and we frequently were together while maintaining utilities in this area. I believe he has worked in Air Selangor for about three years now and he is a quiet man," adding that the latter was from Teluk Intan, Perak.
Reporters found that the search and rescue operation was still ongoing with the K9 unit deployed.
The surroundings were all covered in darkness as electricity supply was affected.
Most residents at the location had also left their homes. Enforcement officers on the ground had issued evacuation alerts due to potential slope instability.
Ampang Jaya police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Farouk Eshak said attempts to find Mahendran and another resident were still ongoing.
Meanwhile, he also said engineers from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council reported no soil movements at the point.
However, the slopes were still being monitored. He urged the public not to spread rumours on the incident and instead verify reports with the enforcement authorities.
So far, three of five victims have been pulled out. The first, an 87-year-old man, was rescued not long after rescuers arrived at the scene, while the body of the second, believed to be the octogenarian's wife, was retrieved two hours later, about 9pm.
The body of a man in his forties, the second to be confirmed dead, was retrieved at 11pm. He was found dead in the rubble outside the first house which was destroyed after it was hit by the landslide.
Mohamad Farouk said rescue workers faced several setbacks in finding the two remaining victims believed to be lodged under the debris.
"The victims were not where we expected as the houses were damaged badly and they were hit by the columns of soil when they were trying to flee."
A total 10 vehicles and 15 houses were affected in the landslide.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis said an engine with nine personnel from the Pandan fire station was deployed to the scene as soon as a distress call was received at 5.54pm.
Scans are also understood to be underway to establish if there are additional victims trapped inside the rubble.