KOTA KINABALU: A heart-wrenching video of a man begging for help as his wife and son lay trapped in their landslide-hit home in Papar has gone viral, capturing the human toll of Sabah’s multiple tragedies on Monday (Sept 15).
In the 26-second clip, the distraught man pleaded for an excavator to dig through the rubble.
“Please help me, anyone with a Hitachi (excavator), send it to me. I am willing to pay whatever the cost. Help me. My wife and child are inside. I can’t do anything anymore, I beg you all, please help me,” he said before breaking down.
He was later seen exhausted and disoriented at the scene as firefighters carried out search and rescue operations in Kg Mook, about 35km from the Papar fire station.
Hours later, his worst fears were realised when his 38-year-old wife and 11-year-old son were recovered from the wreckage and pronounced dead at the scene.
Shirtless and visibly shaken, he was later seen identifying the bodies of his wife and child.
The operation, which expanded from three firemen to nine, including members of the elite Storm unit, concluded at 2.25pm.
The team had been responding to a distress call received at 10.02am, reporting that a landslide had struck three houses and left at least two people buried.
Authorities said the slope would continue to be closely monitored for further risks.
Earlier the same morning, Papar firefighters were called to another landslide at Kg Maragang Tuntul at 9.20am, where three people were reported trapped when their house was struck.
A team of eight firemen arrived within 14 minutes and immediately began search and rescue efforts.
Compounding the tragedy, a third landslide struck Kg Cendera Kasih, near here, burying 11 members of a family in their wooden house.
Four were rescued, including one with a broken leg, while an adult woman and four children were later found dead.
As of press time, two more victims, a woman and a child, remain missing.
The search, involving 76 personnel from multiple agencies, is ongoing.
Residents nearby have been told to evacuate due to fears of further landslides.
Kota Kinabalu OCPD Asst Comm Kasim Muda said the victims may be immigrants, though this has yet to be confirmed.
