HULU SELANGOR: Almost all 92 victims of the landslide at Father’s Organic Farm have been accounted for, with only one young boy still missing.
The total number of victims has also been revised down from 94 to 92, Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Arjunaidi Mohamed said.
“With the latest four bodies found today (yesterday), the death tally from the landslide is now 30 while the number of survivors is 61.
“We are still looking for one more victim, a male child,” he told a press conference at the landslide site yesterday.
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Rescue personnel found four victims yesterday – a man, a woman and two children (a boy and a girl).
Comm Arjunaidi said authorities have now confirmed the number of victims at 92 after checking the registration list at the farm as well as police reports lodged over missing family members.
Giving their all: Soldiers crossing Sungai Kedondong during the Batang Kali landslide search and rescue operation. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
“There was an overlap of registration at the farm, which is why we had the initial number of victims at 94.
“We discovered the error a few days ago but did extensive checks to make sure the number was right. We are now satisfied that official number of victims is 92,” he said.
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“So far, we have not received any new police reports on the matter,” he added.
As for the search and rescue (SAR) operation, Comm Arjunaidi said it has been temporarily stopped due to a heavy downpour.
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“We have stopped temporarily until the weather and situation permits the operation to resume.
“We have to take into account the safety of rescue personnel,” he said.
Through thick and thin: Army personnel and General Operations Force members searching through the Sungai Kedondong area until the landslide location during the search and rescue mission in Batang Kali. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
At an earlier press conference, Hulu Selangor OCPD Supt Suffian Abdullah said the latest four victims were found beneath 7m of soil at Sector C (riverside) of the landslide site.
“The bodies, which were intact but had started decomposing, were found inside a tent. Their belongings were found nearby,” he said.
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The bodies have been sent to Hospital Sungai Buloh for post-mortem and identification, he added.
The SAR operation will continue to focus on Sectors A and C, Supt Suffian said.
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The bodies of a man and a woman found on Wednesday had been identified and claimed by their families, he added.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Wan Md Razali Wan Ismail said the SAR started at about 7.30am yesterday but was temporarily halted at about 4.30pm.
“It involved 128 personnel, 11 excavators and seven K9 dogs. We had the initial leads on the four bodies at about 10am and were able to retrieve them using excavators and dogs,” he said.
