Landslide victim found under rubble

2009/11/22

LUMUT: The body of a quarry worker buried in a landslide on Thursday wa s found beside an excavator at 10.15am ye s t e r d ay.

Manjung district officer Ahmad Shafee said Md Soyad Mia, 31, from Bangladesh, was repairing the excavator with another worker at the time of the accident. Two others were working in the quarry.

“The operation to find the victim was hampered by the heavy rain and the unstable hillslope. At the time of the incident, the victim was on the fourth terrace of the quarry hill.

“But the body was found on the third terrace and he was buried under earth and rocks,” he said at the scene, The body was intact and the victim may have died from suffocation after being buried in 4m and 15 tonnes of ear th.

Rescuers also found a four-wheeldrive vehicle.

S oya d ’s co-worker, M. Mahendran, 39, and two others managed to escape.

The landslide is believed to have been caused by land movement as a result of heavy rain over the last few days. — Bernama