ALOR STAR: The Alor Star City Council has cordoned off a section of the Gunung Keriang Recreational Area following a landslide early this morning.
The affected area is located at the foot of Gunung Keriang and about 70m away from the recreational parking area and stalls selling stone crystals.
Mayor Datuk Mohd Zohdi Saad said the move was to enable investigation on the affected area by the Minerals and Geoscience Department Malaysia.
"We need to make sure that the area is safe before we can open it to the public. The closure only involved a small area at the foot of the hill," he said after visiting the site this afternoon.
Meanwhile, Fire and Rescue Department officer Mohd Helmi Abu Husin said a search and rescue operation was mounted at 10am following claims that a man was trapped under the fallen rocks.
He said a K9 unit was called to help in the search.
"A villager called us and said someone saw a man on a motorcycle at the area when the landslide occurred. However we did not find any trace of a victim at the site," he said.
Helmi said the search operation was called off about 3.42pm.
The Gunung Keriang Recreation Park, located about 10km from here, is famous for outdoor activities including caving, hiking and rock climbing.