Hulu Langat (The Star/ANN) - A boy was pulled out alive eight hours after two landslides hit an orphanage in Hulu Langat, Malaysia, killing 16 people as of Sunday morning.
He was among 49 people who were attending a motivational course and luncheon at the Rumah Anak Yatim Hidayah at the 14th mile Jalan Felcra Semungkus in Hulu Langat.
When the landslides occurred at about 2.30pm on Saturday (May 21) following overnight rain, 25 were buried by tonnes of earth while the others narrowly escaped.
Police said as of 5am Sunday, 16 bodies were pulled out and nine victims rushed to hospitals, among whom was the boy. A massive search and rescue operation is going on for those still missing.
Fourteen-year-old Mohd Iman Abdullah remembers the moment of horror when he watched helplessly as some of his friends were buried by the landslide.
"I shouted to the others to run and in a split second the earth came tumbling down, burying many of my friends," he was quoted as saying by Malaysian news agency, Bernama.
Mohd Iman was among those who managed to escape during the landslide that hit Rumah Anak Yatim Hidayah.
"All of us were under a canopy to prepare for an event when I saw the earth move and then collapse," he added.
Rescuers who were first to arrive at the scene of the landslide were shocked by the sight of bodies stuck in the soil and mud.
Radzman Abdul Wahab, 25, who is attached to the Civil Defence Department in Kuala Lumpur, said he received the alert at 4.15pm before a team was rushed to the scene on Saturday.
"When we arrived, we saw a large mound of earth and mud behind the madrasah and we could see lifeless bodies and hands sticking out from the mud.
"It was heart-breaking to see the young victims but I had to put aside my emotions and concentrate on rescuing those who were trapped under the rubble," he said.
His team was involved in the rescue of the third victim at 5pm. They pulled the boy out of the rubble and rushed him to hospital. Nadurah Shamsul Liani, 20, also from the same team, said the soil was still wet and shifting at the site.
"It was very dangerous work for all the rescue workers. "There was always the danger of another landslide occurring but we pushed on for the sake of the trapped children," she said, adding that rescue efforts almost halted between 6pm and 7pm because of the downpour.
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