KAPIT, June 18: Residents of Tr Masam Unyat, located in Ulu Terusa, Jalan Rimbunan near here had a scare when their eight-door longhouse was hit by a landslide earlier today.
Kapit Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) chief, Assistant Fire Superintendent (PPgB) Timoty Barat said they received a call regarding the incident at 9.08am.
He said a team of four officers from Bomba Kapit were deployed to conduct monitoring at a location located about 10km from the station.
“Upon arrival at the location, our personnel found that it was true that there was a landslide at the back of the longhouse, where the backyard was a hilly area.
“There were also ground movements and members have installed barriers in the area to prevent residents from entering so as to avoid any untoward incidents,” he said.
According to him, as a safety measure, the 35 longhouse residents have been asked to take precautionary measures and be more vigilant as ground movement is still being detected at the location.
“We also advised them to move temporarily to their relatives’ houses or temporary evacuation centers but they appealed not to be evacuated at this time because they don’t want to leave their belongings and property unattended,” he explained.
Timoty said total loss from the landslide had yet to be ascertained and believed soil sedimentation was believed to be the cause of it.
He added that no one was injured during the incident and further inspection of the longhouse found that four rooms, namely No 3, No 4 and No 6 were severely affected due to the collapse.
Other agencies involved in providing assistance included the Kapit district office, the police and the Social Welfare Department. — DayakDaily
