KUCHING: The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee is prepared to bring in experts from Kuala Lumpur to assist in rescuing victims buried in the landslide which occurred in Miri early Wednesday.
Committee chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is also the Sarawak Deputy Premier, said such expert assistance will only be sought if necessary.
"For now, the operation to find (the missing victims) is still going on and we are assessing the situation. If there is a need, then maybe we will call the experts from Kuala Lumpur,” he told reporters after attending the state-level Chinese New Year celebration here on Wednesday (Jan 29).
In the 2.58am incident, six victims were feared buried in the rubble, with four bodies, one each of a teenage boy and a woman and two unidentified bodies while one person is missing.
The landslide affected two houses in the village, located on the slopes of Bukit Kanada in Miri.
ALSO READ: Six feared buried alive in Miri landslide, four bodies recovered, one missing
In another development, Uggah said that, so far, 15 temporary evacuation centres have been opened in the divisions of Kuching, Serian and Samarahan to shelter flood victims while the centre in Miri is to house victims of the landslide.
"All personnel at the division and district levels are now on standby mode for any eventualities.
"My advice to residents living in flood-prone areas is to always be on standby and to evacuate immediately if instructed by the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee,” he said.
He added that the committee and other relevant agencies have joined forces to evacuate the flood victims. - Bernama
