No injuries as Penghulu’s house-turned-office collapses in landslide
MIRI: A small house-turned-office belonging to Penghulu Samad Ali in Kampung Lereng Bukit here, collapsed early yesterday morning following continuous heavy rain since Sunday night.
No casualties were reported in the 6.30am incident.
Samad, when met yesterday, said his wife was the first person who realised what had happened to the office located in the compound of their family home.
“It was still early and my wife heard a loud bang. Initially, she thought there was an accident in front of the house, so she rushed out to check.
“She was shocked when she saw my office had collapsed due to a landslide. I was lucky that it happened before my working hours,” he said.
Samad said he would normally be in the office at 8am.
“My wife then alerted me about the incident and I went to check it myself. I requested help from my family members to remove all the important documents in my office to safety,” he added.
The glass windows were all broken in the incident.
A car, which was parked near the office, was also damaged.
When asked about the history of landslides in the area, Samad said yesterday’s incident was the eighth time such an incident has happened.
“We have been living here since the early 1950s. My house had to be moved several times because of these incidents,” he said, adding such incidents normally occurred at year- end.
“When it rains continuously, all of us who live in Kampung Lereng
It was still early and my wife heard a loud bang. Initially, she thought there was an accident in front of the house, so she rushed out to check. Penghulu Samad Ali
Bukit, particularly whose houses are located on the foot of the hill, will be worried sick.”
Samad said he had always warned residents to pay attention to the colour of rainwater from the hill because it is normally a tell-tale sign.
“If the rainwater is clear, we would be less worried. But if it is yellow, then we would stay alert for a possible landslide,” he said.
There are over 700 residents living in the area.
Samad also called on the relevant authorities to build a proper drainage system, especially on the hill, to avoid soil erosion which could lead to landslides.
A team of personnel from Fire and Rescue Department were present at the scene to check on the condition of Samad’s office.