GUA MUSANG, Jan 4 — A 37-year-old Bangladeshi vegetable farm worker was reported missing and feared buried alive in a landslide at KM92 Jalan Gua Musang-Lojing here yesterday.
District police chief Supt Sik Choon Foo said the vegetable farm owner realised that Akund Md Ziarul had gone missing when he failed to return to his shared residence not far from the landslide area last night.
He said Akund’s employer had been trying to locate him until this morning but failed.
He then lodged a missing person’s report at the Lojing police station at 3pm, before a search and rescue operation was launched at 4pm in the rain, Sik said.
“Based on the information received, Akund was at the location when the landslide occurred in the vegetable farm,” he said when met at the location this afternoon.
In the incident at 3.30pm yesterday, dozens of boulders, wood and mud rained down on two lanes of the road for two kilometres, causing two four-wheel-drive vehicles to turn turtle.
Fortunately, the two drivers escaped with just minor injuries although their vehicles were swept away by mud.
Sik said the road had to be closed to all vehicles but users could use the alternative road which is the old road to Ipoh and Cameron Highlands, Pahang.
“Not sure when it can be reopened because the boulders, wood and mud have not been cleared.
“The roads were also damaged and need to be repaired before they can be reopened,” he said. — Bernama
