HULU SELANGOR: The sleepy hollow of Taman Idaman, Serendah, erupted into big news in the morning when a major landslide took place and by evening everything had come to a standstill.
Parts of the neighbourhood, including a section of a road, two food stalls and nine vehicles were “swallowed” by a landslide which also left a huge crater.
A motorcyclist travelling back home miraculously escaped with his life, sustaining only minor injuries during the 1am incident on Saturday.
A 1.2ha site has been affected as tons of soil were swept away, putting 340 residents within 600m of the landslide at risk.
There was also a disruption to water and electricity supply in the immediate surrounding area, located about 8km northeast of Rawang town.
Hulu Selangor OCPD Supt R. Supramaniam said thankfully there were no fatalities.
According to the Public Works department (JKR), there is still soil movement and the flow of underground water is increasing.
All residents in the affected “Red Zone” had been ordered to be relocated to the nearby Sekolah Rendah Agama Serendah.
Supt Supramaniam said policemen would be stationed around the evacuated houses to prevent looting.
Selangor exco member (Chairman of Infrastructure, Public Amenities and Agro-Based industry) Zaidy Abdul Talib visited the disaster hit area and assured that the state government would look into the welfare of the residents.
“We have also instructed the JKR to work quickly to stop the underground water flow and take measures to stop the soil movement,” he said.
The assessment of the soil stability in the area is expected to take around two to three days.
Hulu Selangor MP and Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan also visited the area and said steps would be taken to make sure there would be no repeat incident.
“We will also ensure the residents are looked after and kept safe.”
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