Fifth landslide victim found

ALOR SETAR: The body of the fifth victim of the Gunung Jerai landslide has been found, says the Fire and Rescue Department.

The body of Ku Shuib Ku Abdullah, 91, was found in Titi Hayun at 3.23pm yesterday.

The search operation, which entered its fifth day involving 430 personnel, would now be looking for another victim, Ridwan Poniman.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim said the operation was concentrated in Titi Hayun and Batu Hampar where Ridwan was last seen with Ku Shuib.

“We have mobilised rescue personnel from various government agencies and assets including helicopters, boats and drones to search for victims.

“There are four main streams from the hills, of which Titi Hayun is the biggest area where the search and rescue operation is being conducted. One of the missing is a contractor’s worker who was erecting a gazebo before the landslide occurred,” he said at the Yan police station.

Besides leaving a trail of destruction, the floods on Wednesday were accompanied by a gushing torrent from Gunung Jerai.

A total of 1,140 people were affected by the water column – a sudden surge of a large volume of water falling from an otherwise placid mountain stream – in the Yan and Kuala Muda districts.

The landslide have claimed five lives while one victim is being treated at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah here. The other four who died were locals Ahmad Din, 64; Sharuzi Mohamad, 53; Zainol Morad, 66; and Mohamad Faizal Zohir, 28.

Yan and Kuala Muda have been classified as Level One disaster areas, and the public have been warned to avoid going there temporarily.