PUTRAJAYA, Nov 13 — It was probably the first time that motorists had seen a fireman walking and hitching a ride on motorcycles but Shahrin Yusmar Mat Yusof had no other way to get to the site of Wednesday’s landslide along the Karak Highway.
The Temerloh Fire and Rescue Department zone chief left his car after seeing a 5km-long jam caused by the mud flow that had blocked both lanes.
“I had to abandon my vehicle and make my way to the disaster site by foot and on motorcycle,” said the 36-year-old who immediately opened a path for emergency services vehicles with the help of motorists stuck on the highway.
By 7.45pm, he and emergency response personnel from the Karak Fire and Rescue station and the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team of Malaysia (STORM) unit had started to ascertain if anyone had been trapped in their vehicles.
Shahrin Yusmar said motorists had blocked the emergency lane making it difficult for rescue vehicles to get to the disaster site.
“But I understand how confusion may contribute to such behaviour,” he said.
“However, in times of crisis, we need the public to listen to us so we can clear the road fast and in the safest manner possible.”
Jamil Saadun, who is in charge of the national rescue services branch charged with assessing the situation in a disaster, said the primary objective in such situations was to minimise casualties.
