Nation

Batang Kali landslide: 'We felt the earth move and heard a loud bang', says victim [NSTTV]

KUALA LUMPUR: A victim who was camped out at the Father's Organic Farm campsite in Batang Kali with his family described the horror they had to go through when the earth came crashing down on them.

Leong Jim Meng, 57, said campers were awakened by a loud bang that "sounded like an explosion" around 2am today.

"We were asleep when it happened. We felt the earth move and the soil came down. It was very dark and we could not really see anything.

"We never expected a landslide to occur considering it was not raining heavily a few days ago, just some drizzles.

"My family and I were trapped as soil covered our tent. We managed to escape to a carpark area and heard a second landslide happening. I called the authorities and they came after 30 minutes which I think was quite fast," said Leong.

Leong said there are approximately 100 more people trapped in the landslide, but his family was not harmed in the tragedy.

Another victim, Teh Lynn Xuan, 22, said that she was camping at Zone B Hilltop side, where there were more than 40 people in that zone.

One of her brothers died in the incident and another was admitted to hospital.

"We could feel our tent losing balance, and it was toppled over. But we managed to get out. My mother and I managed to crawl out of the tent and save ourselves.

"There were infants and babies who died, everything happened too quickly," Teh said.

Thawng Uk, 35, a worker at the Father's Organic Farm camping ground said he and his friends managed to escape the landslide.

"All 13 of us escaped the landslide, but one of my friends is in the hospital due to a leg injury. Other than that, all of us here are safe and sound.

"It was really scary and I was traumatized at the time it happened," said Thawng.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Norazam Khamis said the incident took place at about 2am.

He adds that police revealed that some 100 victims are still trapped at the camping ground.

"Rescue personnel from over six fire stations have been dispatched to the location for search and rescue efforts."

Most Popular
Related Article
Says Stories