Eleven cars damaged in landslide

(Left) Eleven cars were damaged in the landslide in Jalan LEP 1A/2, Taman Lestari Perdana in Seri Kembangan. The authorities have told the vehicle owners to leave them on site for the time being. (Below) As the soil structure is too unstable, the authorities are using a crane to remove the vehicles before the situation worsens.

THE landslide in Taman Lestari Perdana, Seri Kembangan, on Monday was caused by underground water seepage.

Serdang OCPD Asst Comm Megat Mohamad Aminuddin Megat Alias said this at a press conference after a site visit yesterday.

“There was no loss of life but 11 cars belonging to customers of a nearby car workshop were damaged when the monsoon drain collapsed.

“The site will be cordoned off until the Geology Department determines that it is safe,” he said.

Selangor disaster management team head Ahmad Fairuz added that the area of the landslide measured around 50m in width and 10m in depth.

Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) public relations senior assistant director Asfarizal Abdul Rashid said as the soil structure was not stable enough for cars to be towed, they would be removed using a crane.

“We have also taken profiles of 10 shoplots and three houses surrounding the site, in case the situation worsens and we need to notify the owners.

“The landslide was caused by underground water seepage but we have yet to determine who was responsible for it.

As the soil structure is too unstable, the authorities are using a crane to remove the vehicles before the situation worsens.

“As of now, MPSJ will facilitate the repairs until the party responsible is identified through an investigation.

“We have decided to lift the cars so that the soil structure is not disturbed as it has been raining almost every afternoon and might worsen the situation,” Asfarizal added.

Of the 11 cars that were damaged, two were retrieved by the owners on the night of the landslide.

Meanwhile, a worker at the workshop said none of the workers were present when the landslide happened.

“Most of the cars have been repaired but the owners have yet to collect them. Some have even been left here for up to three years. At the moment, there’s nothing we can do but leave it as it is. Some of the owners cannot even be contacted,” the worker said.

Ridzuan Hashim, one of the vehicle owners, said he planned to collect his Ford this week but the landslide occurred before he could do so.

“It was repaired last week and now this happened. I planned to get it repainted later. I spent about RM10,000 on repairs,” he said.

Among agencies which have been on site since Monday night are MPSJ’s Squad Pantas, police, Fire and Rescue Deparment, the Selangor disaster management team and the district office.

The Selangor disaster management team will act as the coordinator on site for all agencies involved.

At press time, rain had begun to fall on site and the authorities were trying to remove all vehicles before the situation worsened.

Asfarizal added that the Fire and Rescue Department, police and MPSJ's Squad Pantas will monitor the site in case of any more earth movements.