Landslide, road collapse affect 3,000

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KOTA BELUD: An elderly couple escaped unhurt when a landslide sent earth and debris into their home at the foot of a hill in Kampung Kiau-Taburi, Kadamaian yesterday.

The couple in their 70s were rescued by villagers after they had initially refused to leave for fear of losing their decades-old house.

A Native Chief representative, Tambunan Asang, 65, said they had to persuade the victims to leave the house as the situation was very dangerous.

“We also called the Fire and Rescue Department to help rescue the elderly couple,” he said.

The landslide, which occurred around 4am, also hit a vacant house, located close to the elderly couple’s home, and left 3,000 people stranded after the only road link to three villages, Kampung Kiau Taburi, Bersatu and Nuluh, collapsed.

At least 500 metres stretch was filled with earth and rendered impassable to all vehicles.

The villagers had to walk through slippery and steep hillside to get to the main road.

District police chief DSP Mohan Nadesan said the elderly couple are currently putting up at their children’s house in the state capital.

“No casualties were reported,” he said.

The Fire and Rescue Department public relations officer Mohd Affendy K Ramin said  they received a distress call from a villager around 10.42am and sent five personnel in a fire engine to the location.

“The landslide hit two concrete houses; rescue operation was carried out and ended at around 1.50pm,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd managing director Abd Razak Sallim, in a statement yesterday, disclosed that the landslide caused a power failure that affected at least 30 houses since 5.44am.

“Initial investigation revealed that about 10 high voltage electricity polls collapsed and need to be replaced soon.

“However, power restoration cannot be carried out at the moment as we were made to understand that the area is not accessible to any kind of vehicles, and we cannot transport our mobile generators to provide electricity to these affected villages,” he said.

Abd Razak said the company estimated its losses in the incident at RM30,000.