KUALA LUMPUR: At least 76 people were evacuated following a landslide that destroyed a guard post at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy (Maca) here.
They are employees of Maca and the adjacent Malaysian Institute of Integrity.
The two areas in Persiaran Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin here have been temporarily closed pending inspection by slope experts.
The City Fire and Rescue Department said 36 men and 40 women were evacuated to a safe site yesterday.
“No injuries were reported in the incident,” it said in a statement.
Maca serves as a training centre for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Washed away: A landslide destroyed a guard post at Maca. No casualties were reported. — Picture courtesy of KL Bomba
In a statement, MACC said the building would remain off limits until the affected area was declared safe.
“We can confirm that 45 people comprising 22 officers, 16 cleaners and seven family members of officers were evacuated from Maca safely,” it said.
It urged the public to refrain from speculating on the issue and to allow the authorities to investigate the incident to identify the cause of the landslide.
According to Bernama, the 1.30pm landslide was believed to have been caused by stagnant water and a broken underground pipe next to the entrance to the academy.
Sentul OCPD Asst Comm Beh Eng Lai said the Public Works Department’s slope forensic unit found that the stagnant water outside the entrance was possibly due to heavy rain over the past three days.
“In addition, it also detected a broken underground pipe and both these factors resulted in water not flowing out, thus, causing the landslide,” he added.
ACP Beh said there were no injuries or fatalities but several cars were trapped in the academy area as the landslide involved the only entry and exit route to the academy.
