THE search and rescue for the victims of a landslide that hit the Father’s Organic Farm campsite near Batang Kali, Selangor which started on December 16 officially ended at noon today.

Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said the decision to wind up operations was made after police confirmed that there were no more missing victims.

“The police concluded that the number of victims involved in the landslide is 92. A total of 61 people were rescued while 31 were killed.

“Agencies such as the Public Works Department, the Department of Survey and Mapping, the Minerals and Geoscience Department and the Hulu Selangor Municipal Council are still conducting technical works at the site,” he told a press conference.

The body of the last victim, believed to be a boy aged between seven and 12, was found at 4.53pm on the ninth day of the search and rescue efforts yesterday.

Meanwhile, Acryl had expressed the hope that the concluded operation will become a point of reference for future search and rescue exercises.

“...each agency played its role as outlined in the National Security Council Directive No. 20 (NSC 20), so there was no overlapping of duties,” he said.

He also expressed his appreciation to all parties involved.

Acryl said he hoped that the National Disaster Management Agency would organise a table talk on a regular basis involving all agencies in NSC 20 to ensure the smooth management of disaster operations in the future.

The landslide that struck in the early morning of December 16 took the lives of 31 victims: 18 adults and 13 children. There were 61 survivors.  

The operation was divided into three main areas – sector A, sector B (farm view) and sector C (river side), and with the help of more than 250 rescue workers from various agencies, K9 units and the use of heavy machinery.

The operation involved five main government agencies: the Royal Malaysia Police, the Malaysian Armed Forces, the Fire and Rescue Department, the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team and the Civil Defence Force. – Bernama, December 25, 2022.