KOTA KINABALU: Firefighters in Papar were tested to their limits on Monday when two separate landslides struck villages in the district within hours of each other, leaving at least five people affected.
The first alert came in at 9.20am, reporting that a house at Kg Maragang Tuntul had been crushed by a landslide, with three people believed to be trapped. A team of eight firefighters from the Papar Fire and Rescue Station was dispatched and arrived within 14 minutes. They discovered the victims were buried under rubble and household debris.
Barely 40 minutes after the first call, another distress report was received at 10.02am, this time from Kg Mook, some 35km away. Three houses were reported to have been hit, with two victims believed to be trapped. A smaller team of three firefighters was sent to the scene to begin a search and rescue operation.
The dual operations are being coordinated by Papar Fire and Rescue chief Rozlan, who said his men were doing their best despite being stretched between two active disaster sites.
"Additional resources will be called in if necessary, and updates on the victims will be provided as soon as they are verified," he said.
As of press time, operations at both sites were ongoing.
