Everything About the Cameron Highlands Landslide That is Known So Far

In the early morning of 26 January 2024, a disastrous landslide occurred at Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands, resulting in two deaths and three people missing as of time of writing.

According to Haji Wan Mohammad Zaidi Wan Isa, the Director of the Pahang Fire and Rescue Department, members of the department received a distress call at about 2.51 am.

Search and Rescue Operations Underway At Cameron Highlands’ Blue Valley

The incident involved five casualties, who were believed to be staying inside a house that was hit by the landslide.

The house where the casualties stayed is located at Batu 54 in the Blue Valley, a small town and tourist destination located within the Cameron Highlands.

According to The New Straits Times, the casualties were identified to be Shing Lan Har, Shing Aung, Om Mye, Haphey and Thang Moung, all of whom were Myanmar nationals aged 25 to 56. At least one of the casualties is believed to be female.

According to Abdul Ghani, the assistant director of operations at the Pahang Fire and Rescue Department, the nine firemen who were initially dispatched had to trek about 3 km before reaching the site of the incident. Due to the nature of the landslide, the incident site was only accessible with the use of four-wheeled vehicles.

Besides the initial rescue team, the Pahang Fire and Rescue Department also mobilised Malaysia’s special tactical operation and rescue team. Special forces from the states of Perak, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur, as well as tracker dogs from the K9 unit, were also involved in the search and rescue operation.

Minister of Works Alexander Nanta Linggi said in a statement on Facebook that while the landslide location did not fall under the purview of the Malaysian Public Works Department, the department will be assisting in clearing the landslide near the entrance of the incident area.

Bodies of Two Victims Have Been Recovered; Other Three Victims Remain At Large

At around 3 am, the rescue team discovered the lifeless body of one of the casualties from the rubble of the landslide. While the name of the deceased has not yet been disclosed, the deceased has been identified as one of the male victims.

According to the Pahang Fire and Rescue Department, the body was removed from the premises with the use of a police vehicle at about 10 am.

At around 12.05 pm, it was announced that the body of another victim had been discovered.

The other three casualties involved in the incident remain missing, believed to be still buried alive amidst the rubble.

Search and rescue operations are still ongoing.