KUALA LUMPUR, 6 Dec 2008: The police have instructed between 3,000 and 5,000 residents living in apartments and condominiums in the vicinity of the landslide in the Bukit Antarabangsa area in Hulu Klang, to evacuate.
Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said the Malaysian Armed Forces’ engineering team are currently creating a pedestrian walk-way for the residents to move out from the area.
However, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who visited the scene, said there were residents who still refused to leave their homes.
“We urge the people living nearby to move out because it is reported that earth movement continues to take place,” he said adding that the Selangor state government had prepared temporary settlements for the residents.
The landslide, which occurred at about 4am today, had cut off access via the main road to the residential areas at Bukit Antarabangsa, trapping hundreds of residents.
Those trapped and the rescue team had to use Jalan Wangsa 9 as an alternative route as the main road to the area could not be used.
So far, police have confirmed that three people were killed in the incident which buried 14 bungalows in Taman Bukit Mewah and Taman Bukit Utama.
Musa said the landslide had also caused the river in the area to overflow when it was filled with tonnes of earth.
The police and army are currently trying to divert the river to a new route.
Meanwhile, five lorries were seen entering the area to transport the sand dug from the river.
The movement of evacuees to the relief centre at the UA2 community hall was rather chaotic especially when heavy rain started to pour in the area. — Bernama
