Three dead, 10 buried in Penang landslide

GEORGE TOWN (Malaysia) — Thirteen people were buried alive after a landslide at the construction site of a paired road project in Paya Terubong to Relau on Penang island on Friday (Oct 19).

State executive councillor Phee Boon Poh said three of them died in the 2pm incident along Jalan Paya Terubong.

Fire and Rescue Department personnel found two bodies in its search and rescue operation.

The victims were foreign labourers, the department’s operations officer, Mohd Tarmizi Md Jaafar, told the media.

One man, also a foreigner, has been rescued, but at least 10 others remain missing, he said.

An initial report by the department said four containers and 10 people were buried underneath the sludge from the landslide.

The department estimates the landslide affected area to be nearly a hectare wide.

An Indonesian construction worker, who only wished to be known as Endo, 36, told The Star Online that three of his family members from Sulawesi were trapped.  

"Three of them, in their 30s, were inside and I got to know that one of them was trapped in a container.  I pray for their safety," he was quoted as saying. AGENCIES