Sabah landslides and floods kill 13

Summary

• Sabah landslides and floods have killed 13, bringing the death toll to 14.

• Sandakan experiences water disruptions after massive power failure in six east coast districts.

The number of deaths from the storm disaster in Sabah has risen to 13, today, with one person still missing, officials said.

The worst-hit area was Kampung Cenderakasih in Kota Kinabalu, where a landslide buried a makeshift wooden house and killed eight people, including four children aged between two and nine.

Three teenage boys and a 20-year-old man survived, though one suffered injuries.

In Papar district, a landslide in Kampung Mook killed a 38-year-old woman and her 11-year-old son after three makeshift wooden houses were engulfed.

At nearby Kampung Marahang Tuntul, two bodies were pulled from the rubble on Monday afternoon, a 32-year-old woman and an 11-year-old girl, while a six-year-old boy remains missing.

Separately, a 20-year-old man drowned while fishing in flood waters in Kuala Penyu while a 97-year-old man was killed when his home in Kampung Sarapung, Penampang, was buried in a landslide.

The total death toll stands at 14.

Sabah Fire and Rescue Department director Pisar Aziz said recovery operations had been challenging due to unstable slopes, debris and persistent rain.

“Our teams are continuing search efforts at Marahang to locate the remaining missing child,” he said.

Downpour wreaks havoc

Torrential rain has triggered at least 89 incidents across Sabah since Sept 8, including landslides, flash floods and road collapses.

Twenty-six roads remain closed, and the collapse of a high-voltage transmission tower in Penampang on Sept 13 left six east coast districts without power.

More than 1.2 million residents in Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Kunak, Semporna and Beluran were affected, though partial supply has since been restored.

In Sandakan, residents now experience a water disruption after power in the district has been fully restored.

Umno’s Libaran MP Suhaimi Nasir had taken aim at the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led government over the water issues in Sandakan.

He claimed poor governance had worsened the impact of the crisis.

He called for urgent repairs at the Segaliud water treatment plant and long-term upgrades to the district’s supply system.

M’sia Day do called off

Chief Minister Hajiji Noor had earlier called off the Malaysia Day celebration planned at Padang Merdeka in Kota Kinabalu tomorrow (Tuesday) had been called off to focus on rescue and recovery efforts.

“The well-being, welfare and security of the people are of utmost importance,” he said.

Opposition leader Shafie Apdal urged the government to strengthen disaster preparedness, calling for evacuation centres, early-warning systems and stricter controls on hillside development.

 “Tragedies like this must be a turning point,” said the Warisan president.

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