They were the only two survivors of the 1993 Highland Towers tragedy.

At that time, Nur Hamidah Nadjib was only 18 months old. She has since been described as the 'miracle baby'.

Hamidah was taken back home to Surabaya after the incident and never dreamt that after 23 years, she would be reunited with her rescuers.

"My mother first told me about the incident when I was seven-years-old.

"When I was about 13 years old, I discovered social media and then I began to look for videos of the incident on YouTube ," she told a press conference at the Fire and Rescue Department headquarters in Putrajaya here today.

"In a video, I saw that I was still a baby at the time. Still wearing diapers," said Hamidah who is now 24 and is expecting her own child.

At that time, Hamidah said she never even thought it was possible to meet her rescuers, one of whom was seen to be carrying her after being taken out of the rubble.

A photo of the man, former Federal police Criminal Investigation Department director Zaman Khan, had recently gone viral when a local blog highlighted his intentions to meet with the baby he rescued.

"It was only earlier this month that a friend messaged me and said, 'someone is looking for you on Facebook '. I immediately went online, saw the posts and also read the blog," she said.

Hamidah said she then contacted the person and gave him the contact of her father, Nadjib Mustaha, who is working in Malaysia.

"I am so grateful for this opportunity as I never thought this would happen," said a teary Hamidah who was accompanied by her father and mother Umi Rasyidah Khoiruman.

Domestic helper

Umi Rasyidah was working as a domestic helper at Unit 7A of the 12-storey apartment block.

She is the only other survivor in the tragedy that killed 48 others, including 12 foreigners.

Recalling the incident, Umi Rasyidah said she had just finished feeding Hamidah her lunch and was about to perform afternoon prayers.

"I heard the sound of rocks and trees falling. I looked out of the window and saw the badminton court had cracked.

"I grabbed Midah and tied her to me with a cloth. I could feel the building shaking, I heard the neighbours screaming...I was about to grab the key and rush out when the building collapsed," said Umi Rasyidah.

The next thing she knew, she was trapped lying down underneath the rubble with Hamidah still strapped to her chest.

"I had fainted...When I opened my eyes, Midah was crying. I breast fed her for three hours.

"Close to me, I recognised the voice of our Japanese neighbour, 'please help me...'. I kept on praying. And then I heard, 'Siapa ada di dalam?'," she said.

"By God's will, there was a stick near me and I used it to try and push the rock while calling for help," she said, adding that soon after they were both taken out of the rubble and brought down by a crane.

Also at the press conference were two of Umi Rasyidah's former employers.

Susan Tan, 76, said one of her staff had called her on that day and said that Highland Towers had collapsed.

"I immediately called her (Umi Rasyidah)'s husband and I asked whether there were any survivors.

"When I found out they survived, I rushed to the hospital. She's a wonderful person...

"I don't have any children and that's why her daughter (Hamidah) called me mummy. I love her very much," said Tan who is now 76 years old.

On Dec 11, 1993, a 12-storey block of the Highland Towers condominium in Taman Hillview, Ulu Kelang, collapsed after 10 days of continuous rain.

The tragedy made headlines in many countries, leading to several sending teams to help with rescue efforts.

These included teams from Singapore, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan.