KUALA LUMPUR: About 3,000 residents of four areas in Bukit Antarabangsa have been ordered to move immediately as they are in landslide-danger areas.
However, many of the residents are refusing to move.
Selangor chief police officer Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said the four areas are the Impian Selatan Condominium, Taman Bukit Mewah, Jalan 6A Taman Bukit Jaya and Jalan 9 Taman Wangsa Ukay.
DCP Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said that despite repeated pleas, some residents still continued to defy the calls and would not leave their homes.
“We have already advised them to move out as we have been advised by Malaysia Public Works Insitute (Ikram) and Public Works Department (PWD) that the area within one kilometer of the landslide is unsafe,” he said.
He said the findings of a study conducted by the both departments found the immidiete row of houses along Jalan Wangsa 9, where the landslide began as unsafe and could collapse at any moment.
“Ikram and PWD are now doing a study to determine if the second row of houses could face the same fate,” DCP Khalid said.
The landslide early Saturday killed four who were pulled out of the rubble and included Indonesian maid Surinah who was found to have died of suffocation.
At around 11.30am on Sunday, sniffer dogs detected something which was believed to be a fifth body but turned out to be that of a dead animal.
The landslide also cut off electricity to the area. On Sunday, Tenaga Nasional Bhd sent a generator to the area to provide electricity for the 2,000 people in the affected housing estates.
DCP Khalid also said 17 people from unaffected residences nearby had been airlifted out from Saturday night until Sunday afternoon as they needed immediate medical assistance.
Meanwhile, work has finally begun on the construction of the bridge to allow vehicles to pass through.
It is learnt there are 50 vehicles trapped in Taman Bukit Mewah.
The bridge is being constructed with the expense of the outside wall of a house which had to be torn down for construction works to be done by the army.
It is expected to be up within two and three hours.
Latest figures show that no less than 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes within the 1km vicinty and 17 people have been airlifted in helicopters including pregnant women and the sick.
Another 2,000 people stuck in other housing estates cut off to the outside due to the landslide are continusly being provided 5,000 packs of food and drinks which are airlifted in by police and army helicopters.
DCP Khalid said a hotline has been set up for worried friends and family to call and provide information to authorities. The number is 03-41070055 and 03-41086321.
This article was taken from: The Star Online News: Nation 8 December 2008
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