KUALA LUMPUR: At approximately 2am on Jan 26, the local authorities in Cameron Highlands were alerted to a landslide incident that took place in Kampung Batu 59, Kampung Raja.
In the incident, five Myanmar nationals, including a woman, were reportedly buried in the landslide. As of 10am, only one body had been successfully retrieved from the rubble. The victims were identified as Shing Lan Har, 56; Shing Aung, 39; Om Myue, 38; Haphey, 36; and Thang Moung, 25.
Here, we take a look at some of the landslide incidents that have happened in Cameron Highlands over the past decade.
NOV 5, 2014
On Nov 5 2014, the nation was shocked to learn that three people were killed in a landslide and flash floods that occurred in Ringlet, Cameron Highlands.
A Nepalese vegetable farm worker, Md Yousuf Miya, 66, was found buried in Jalan Ulu Merah, Ringlet, at 8.30pm, while a student from Sekolah Menengah Kampung Raja, R. Punesh, 13, was found by a group of villagers and a security team from where he drowned in Sungai Telom in Kuala Terla, Kampung Raja.
Meanwhile, an Indonesian farm worker, Anipan, 48, was found buried under a metre of earth. Anipan's wife, Tsunami, 41, managed to escape and was unhurt in the incident.
DEC 30, 2014
A pregnant woman and her one-year-old child died in a landslide that happened in Tringkap, Cameron Highlands, on Dec 30, 2014.
At the time of the incident, M. Nithiahwaty, 24, was eight months pregnant, and her child was identified as R. Rubeniswaran. Her husband, V. Raja, 41, was pulled out alive from the rubble by the Fire and Rescue Department.
DEC 25, 2016
On Dec 25, 2016, 13 people escaped unhurt when a landslide occurred near Tenaga Nasional Berhad's (TNB) Sharples Bungalow. The landslide, which was triggered by heavy rain, saw the guests evacuated to safety, and four cars parked near the bungalow damaged.
DEC 2, 2021
On Dec 2, 2021, a landslide took place at Section 27 FT185 Jalan Simpang Pulai—Blue Valley (Cameron Highlands), which left a lorry driver, Muhammad Hafiz Hamdi, 31, trapped in a landslide.
The father of two was on his way from Cameron Highlands to Ipoh to deliver fresh vegetables when the incident occurred.
The driver of another vehicle, a Toyota Vellfire, was also trapped in the landslide. According to a news report, it took almost 10 hours to retrieve the bodies of Hafiz and the driver of the Toyota Vellfire, Tan Chee Heng, 36.
JUNE 28, 2023
Continuous heavy rainfall triggered a landslide along the Jalan Simpang Pulai-Blue Valley leading to Cameron Highlands on June 28, 2023. The landslide disrupted traffic in both directions, making the road impassable for all vehicles. Fortunately, there were no reports of damages or injuries to road users in the 11.25pm incident.
OCT 12, 2023
Sixteen families from the Orang Asli community were evacuated from their homes in Kampung Sungai Ruil Golden Hill on Oct 12, 2023, when a landslide occurred suddenly.
A garage and three motorcycles were damaged, while no one was hurt in the incident.
JAN 19, 2024
Last week, the road connecting Habu to the Boh Tea Estate was closed temporarily in both directions following a landslide. Access to C156 on Jalan Boh, Section 0.70, will remain closed from Jan 19 to Feb 2.