Twenty-four people, many of them children,were buried alive when a landslide hit an orphanage in Kampung Gahal, Hulu Langat, near here today.
As at 8pm, about five hours later, villagers and rescuers had pulled out eight injured children and an adult and recovered the bodies of five children of RumahAnak-Anak Yatim dan Anak-Anak Hidayah Madrasah Al-Taqwa, police said.
The child survivors are aged between 11 and 17 and the 22-year-old adult is believed to be a worker at the orphanage. One of the child survivors has since died at Hospital Ampang.
The dead children were aged between 11 and 14. The survivors were rushed to Kajang Hospital, Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah told a news conference.
He said the orphanage, located close to a hill, had 49 occupants, five of themcaretakers. All the residents of the orphanage are male. —
When the landslide struck at 2.30pm, all the residents were in a camp erected near the orphanage for an event scheduled at 5pm.
The debris from the landslide covered the whole camp erected on the hillside. A surau was also hit by the landslide.
“We understand that two landslides occurred within seconds of each other. All of them in the camp were trapped,” Tun Hisan said at the scene.
He said the rescuers comprised personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department, police and the Civil Defence Department. Rescue operations are ongoing even in heavy rain, said Putrajaya Fire and Rescue assistant commissioner, Morni Mamat.
It is believed there are 10 more people buried under the rubble.
— Bernama
CJMY
