KUANTAN: A broken underground pipe and frequent rain during the night had been identified as among the factors that triggered the landslide at the Sungai Ruil Orang Asli resettlement project in Cameron Highlands yesterday.
State Public Works, Transport and Health Committee chairman Datuk Mohammad Fakhruddin Mohd Ariff said the incident involved an area measuring 15m in length and 30m in depth.
"Six houses and three motorcycles were affected in the incident. The weather conditions during the 10.56am incident were reported to be cloudy.
"An old broken underground pipe and episodes of rainfall during the night are among the factors that resulted in earth movement and the landslide. Checks by the Cameron Highlands Public Works Department around 2pm yesterday showed that there was still soil movement in the area," he wrote on Facebook.
Meanwhile Fakhruddin said to ensure the people's safety, 16 families had been told to vacate their homes while the underground water supply to the settlement had been shut.
He said earth clearing works would be carried out after seeking advice from PWD's Slope Engineering Branch forensic unit.
It was reported yesterday that 86 people from 16 families were ordered to vacate their homes following a landslide in the vicinity. No injuries were reported.
Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said all the families had been temporarily moved to the Kampung Sungai Ruil public hall.
The Orang Asli resettlement project has 152 houses which were rebuilt following a landslide incident on Aug 7, 2011 which killed seven people, including a family of six after their homes were swept away.