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IPOH: A landslide in the early hours of yesterday claimed the lives of two guests at a resort hotel in Tambun near here.
Authorities believed that the heavy rains could have caused massive movements of water and soil that resulted in the landslide.
Deputy Commissioner Datuk Goh Boon Keng, Acting Chief of Perak Police, said both victims, a man and a woman, in their 30s, were found buried by search and rescue personnel yesterday between 9.15am and 9.20am. A.M
DCP Goh said the landslide that affected Banjaran Hotspring Retreat is believed to have occurred around 1 a.m. yesterday.
“We got a call from the hotel saying that there were two victims in a villa on the premises around 2.15am. Hotel staff had informed guests of a landslide and told them to leave their villas.
“Guests at one villa did not respond and a worker climbed on the wall to find the jacuzzi room buried in the ground,” he told a news conference yesterday, adding that there were three other villas with guests.
DCP Goh said that only the Jacuzzi room in said villa was affected.
“It is a separate room that is not attached to the bathroom,” he added.
DCP Goh said that search and rescue work had to be stopped several times during the operation as there were still some earthworks.
“There was water flowing from the slope, so we have to be careful,” he said.
“After advice from the Department of Minerals and Geosciences, operations resumed during dawn around 7 am.”
The director of the Perak Fire and Rescue Department, Azmi Osman, said the downpour could have caused the landslide.
“It is possible that the heavy rains caused a massive movement of water on the hill.
“The soil erosion and landslide occurred from a height of about 100 meters,” he said.
The victims have been identified as Ooi Chee Wei, 39, and Lee Tze Jun, 32.
His remains have been sent to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital morgue for autopsy.
According to sources, the remains of the victims had to be analyzed for Covid-19 before an autopsy could be performed.
The autopsy is expected to take place today and only the respective families will be able to claim it thereafter.
It was also learned that the victims are not from Perak, although the police declined to comment further.
Meanwhile, Banjaran Hotspring Retreat issued a statement regarding the incident yesterday, expressing its condolences to the families of the victims.
“We are working with the authorities to reach the families of the two guests and we provide all the support and assistance we can.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the two guests. We will continue to provide our support and immediate needs to the best of our ability, ”the statement read.
“We wish to inform that the resort complies with all the security requirements and the protocol of the authorities involved and operates with international standards.
“The health and safety of our guests and all staff have always been our top priority,” he added.
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