KUALA LUMPUR: Eighty-eight families in Puncak Setiawangsa here have been ordered to move out of their homes due to soil movement there following a landslide last night.
Sentul Police chief Supt Othman Abu Bakar said the police had instructed the owners or occupants of all the 30 bungalows, 18 shophouses and 58 two-storey terrace houses to evacuate as it was unsafe to remain there.
“All those affected at Jalan Bukit Setiawangsa and Jalan Puncak Setiawangsa 2 have been ordered to leave after the Public Works Institute of Malaysia (IKRAM) confirmed soil movement in the area,” he told reporters at the location.
He said that following the landslide Friday night, a bungalow was badly damaged while the earth had cracked at two others, belonging to Setiawangsa member of parliament Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique and member of parliament for Rompin Datuk Seri Dr Jamaludin Jarjis.
He said the police had discussed with other security agencies on the construction of an alternative road to Puncak Setiawangsa because the main road had to be closed for safety reasons.
Othman said that so far only 49 residents had registered at the police operations room set up in the area to inform police they were moving out of their homes. “We urge those who have not registered to do so to facilitate monitoring while we wait for the result of the IKRAM study to determine the safety in the landslide area,” he said.
Othman said the police had set up a temporary shelter at the Setiawangsa community hall for the affected residents.
At the same media conference, Jamaludin said he was on the way home from work when his wife informed him she had heard a loud noise and a section of a neighbour’s bungalow had collapsed.
“My wife said the loud noise came from my neighbour’s bungalow. He is a
businessman from the Middle East who had been renting the bungalow for several months,” he said.
He said no one was hurt but half the bungalow and swimming pool had collapsed about 50 metres.
Jamaludin said his family was putting up at a hotel.
He said he bought the bungalow in 1987 and moved in three months ago after completing his term of duty as the Malaysian ambassador to the United States.
“I thank the police, Fire and Rescue Department, Department of Civil Defence and IKRAM for promptly alerting the residents to the problem, which had prevented a bigger disaster,” he said. — Bernama