SEARCH and rescue efforts at the Father’s Organic Farm, the site of a landslide, in Batang Kali expanded on the fourth day to a nearby river to locate the nine victims who are still missing.

More machinery was also brought for the operation.

The SAR team received two more PC 210 LC-10M excavators from 91 Royal Army Engineers Regiment of Batu Cantonment Camp, Kuala Lumpur, which was specially brought in by the Malaysian Armed Forces this afternoon.

The addition of the machines takes the total number of excavators used in the operation to 10, apart from two ground penetrating radar devices that have been used since yesterday, to help search for victims of the 300m long and 70m high landslide incident.

Meanwhile, seven sweepers from the Fire and Rescue Department have been moved outside the ground zero search area since the excavation of the earth at the sectored area has reached the original land surface of the campsite.

Selangor fire department assistant director of operations Hafisham Mohd Noor said the focus of the team’s search was on the murky riverbed area, but surveys at all identified locations still failed to make any findings.

Meanwhile, the SAR operation today reported that more than 80% of the landslide area has been examined by rescuers so far.

Selangor fire department director Norazam Khamis said although only about 20% of the search area remains, the safety of rescuers also needs to be taken into account.

“The soil here is soft and when added with rainwater, it causes the soil structure to become damp and weak. It is difficult to move in this kind of condition,” he said.

Norazam said the operation strategy has been divided into three sectors – sector A (hill view), sector B (farm view) and sector C (river view) – involving the cooperation of five main government agencies as well as several other support agencies.

Hulu Selangor district police chief Suffian Abdullah said the police would call more people to help investigate the landslide incident, including the survivors.

He said the process may be done within a week or two since most of the victims, who are members of SJKC Mun Choong, are still traumatised.

On Saturday, the police summoned three people – the operator of the campsite and two of his employees – to assist in the investigation.

The landslide, which occurred at 2.42am on December 16, claimed 24 lives, while 61 others survived and nine are still missing. – Bernama, December 19, 2022.