GEORGE TOWN, Oct 25 — The body of a man buried in a landslide at a two-storey semi-detached house in Taman Seri Rambai, Paya Terubong, here, was recovered by firefighters at 11.20am today.
Penang Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Operations and Firefighting Division assistant director John Sagun Francis said the victim, Wong Kar Lin, 73, a doctor at a clinic, was pronounced dead by Health Ministry personnel.
“Firefighters, together with the Civil Defence Force, carried out a rescue operation to extricate the victim, who was buried under the debris, before recovering his body from beneath the concrete rubble.
“We cannot rule out the possibility that the incident was caused by continuous heavy rain since yesterday, which may have destabilised the soil. However, further investigations are still ongoing,” he told reporters at the scene.
The victim’s wife, Chang Mei Nuo, 68, and his mother-in-law, Wong Poh Lim, in her 80s, managed to escape shortly after the incident occurred.
John said the victim’s body was recovered intact, although he had sustained severe injuries. The body was sent to Penang Hospital.
Following the incident, residents of six nearby houses were ordered to evacuate as a safety precaution to mitigate the risk of further landslides.
He said firefighters were still conducting inspections and clearing debris at the site as of 12.35pm to ensure the area was safe.
“A district-level disaster meeting is scheduled to discuss follow-up action and the safety measures to be taken by the relevant authorities,” he said, adding that the cause of the incident remained under investigation. — Bernama