PENAMPANG: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Friday (Sept 19) visited several areas here and in Kota Kinabalu, which were affected by recent floods and landslides that have claimed 14 lives and displaced thousands.
Accompanied by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Anwar arrived at Country Heights at 2.55pm and spent about 30 minutes surveying the landslide site and meeting with residents affected by the disaster.
The landslide, which occurred on Monday (Sept 15), forced the evacuation of over 30 homes.
At 3.25pm, the Prime Minister proceeded to the temporary relief centre at SMK St Paul Kolopis, where he was welcomed by Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick, who is also the Member of Parliament for Penampang.
Anwar spent around 15 minutes there, interacting with evacuees before heading to the centre in Kampung Sarapung, where he spent another 30 minutes meeting residents and receiving a briefing on the Sept 12 landslide incident in the area, which claimed the life of a 97-year-old man.
Anwar later visited another landslide site at the Gaya Teacher Education Institute (IPG) campus in Kota Kinabalu at 4.30pm and spent 30 minutes inspecting the damage.
According to the Sabah State Disaster Management Committee, a total of 2,256 individuals from 710 families are currently housed at evacuation centres.
To date, landslides in the state have claimed 13 lives, while one person has died due to flooding. – Bernama
