TANAH RATA, Dec 31 — In the latest tragedy here, a young family was torn apart when a toddler and his pregnant mother were buried by a landslide in Tringkap yesterday.

One-year-old R. Rubeniswaran and his mother, M. Nithiahwaty, 24, who was eight months pregnant, were killed when earth and rubble 1m deep engulfed their tiny wooden house.

The 4.30am incident, which occurred along KM46 of the Tringkap-Brinchang road, also left Nithiahwaty’s husband, V. Raja, 41, with a broken left leg.

He was rescued by firemen at about 7.30am after being discovered motionless and chest deep in mud by neighbours.

Firemen, who were called to the scene at 5.30am, managed to recover the two bodies shortly after 8am.

Cameron Highlands Fire and Rescue Department chief Yusry Abdullah Sani said the cause was being ascertained but it had been raining since Monday night.

The site is about 20km from Bertam Valley and Ringlet, which bore the brunt of flooding and landslides last month. 

It was learnt that the family had been living in the house made of plywood and plastic behind a row of shoplots built on privately-owned land along the Brinchang-Tringkap road for the past 10 months.

The 12 shoplots were four workshops, a car wash, and two stores. Five other lots were vacant.

Cameron Highlands OCPD DSP Wan Zahari Wan Busu said the house was built illegally behind a workshop on the slope of the hill.

Nithiahwaty’s older brother, Chandran, 43, a driver, said he planned to move the family elsewhere before the landslide occurred. 

“We were close as she was the youngest of my 10 siblings. They were staying with me in Kuala Terla before moving to that small house,” he said.

“Raja had moved to the house after he started work at one of the workshops. Even then, I knew the house was dangerous because it was built on the side of a hill. There was no electricity and it was barely large enough to fit two cars in.”

Workshop owner S. Vijayan and his family narrowly escaped the landslide. 

Vijayan, 31, his wife, P. Kaniammah, 32, and their three children, aged seven to nine, were sleeping when the incident took place. 

Kaniammah said she grabbed her children when she heard a deafening roar.

“At the same time, my husband rushed into the room shouting for us get out,” she said.

She said they managed to escape before the landslide ploughed through Raja’s house.

Vijayan said he heard Raja screaming for help and rushed to the couple’s house. 

“I saw Raja buried up to his chest in mud. I couldn’t see his wife and son,” he said.

In the evening, an Indonesian worker was feared dead after being buried in another landslide. 

Yusry said the man, identified as Zainullah, was feared to be buried under 2m of mud after the landslide hit his “kongsi” house in Taman Desa Corina. 

Operations to locate him were still ongoing at press time.