Batang Kali landslide Malaysia's second worst disaster in terms of deaths

The landslide at the Father’s Organic Farm in Batang Kali on Dec 16 is Malaysia’s second worst disaster in terms of fatalities, after the Highland Towers condominium collapse in 1993 which claimed 48 lives, according to the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART).

Thirty-one people were killed in the 2.30am landslide which saw tonnes of earth come crashing down on the campsite.

Eighteen of those killed were adults and 13 were children, with 20 bodies recovered from Sector A, one from Sector B and 10 from Sector C.

SMART commander Mohd Khairul Jamil said he was shocked by the number of victims in the landslide when they received an emergency call early that day.

"In previous landslides, only three or four people were involved, and when I was told that about 100 victims were involved this time, I was shocked.
 
"I then ordered a team of 10 personnel led by SMART Heavy USAR sector head Mohamad Hafiezul Abdul Halim to go to the incident location. This Batang Kali incident is the second biggest in terms of the number of victims who perished, after Highland Towers," he said on a Bernama TV programme yesterday.

Hafiezul meanwhile said his team had been tasked with giving assistance in terms of expertise and advice to ensure that search and rescue work could be carried out more effectively.

He said the equipment carried by his team on the first day of the incident included structural movement sensors to monitor earth movements which could endanger the lives of the rescuers.

"Our team, among others, was tasked with giving advice regarding the use of heavy machinery in the area covered with sand and debris of about 20m deep," he added.

On preparations to tackle floods, Khairul said two SMART teams had been dispatched to help the related agencies in Terengganu and Kelantan.

He said the assets carried by the SMART teams to these two states include  boats, lorries and equipment to be used in the evacuation of flood victims.