Penang landslide kills doctor, hillside condo construction and roadworks halted

The Penang Island City Council has ordered an immediate halt to condominium construction and roadworks on a hillside near the site of a landslide that killed a doctor in Taman Seri Rambai, Paya Terubong, Bernama reported.

Mayor A Rajendran said the stop-work order was issued to facilitate further investigations into the incident.

“The road and condominium projects have been ongoing for more than a year, while slope stabilisation works are also being carried out in the area.

“So far, we have recommended that the occupants of six houses identified as potentially unsafe relocate temporarily to prevent any untoward incidents,” he was quoted as saying at the scene.

The landslide struck at about 8.36am, trapping 73-year-old Dr Wong Kar Lin in his house. Rescuers recovered his body at about 11.20am.

His wife, Chang Mei Nuo, 68, and his mother-in-law, Wong Poh Lim, who is in her 80s, managed to escape shortly after the incident.

State exco for infrastructure, transport, and digital, Zairil Khir Johari said slope stabilisation works were under way, but some sections remained unfinished when the landslide occurred.

“Unfortunately, the section that had yet to be completed was the one affected by the landslide. Further investigations are ongoing before more detailed information can be provided,” he said.

Group says landslide foreseeable

Meanwhile, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) expressed shock over Wong’s death, saying the landslide risk was foreseeable given extensive hill-cutting and construction in an environmentally sensitive area, despite repeated warnings from residents and environmental groups.

“We have been proven right once again, unfortunately. The state government must explain how this tragedy happened and why such a landslide was not prevented,” said SAM president Meena Raman.

“Photos of the area show unprotected and bare slopes. Our authorities, it seems, just never learn from previous incidents. Was there any monitoring of the slopes? Why were there insufficient mitigation measures?

“The state must explain and take urgent measures against the company responsible for the works."

She called for immediate slope rehabilitation and additional preventive measures to protect nearby residents and prevent further fatalities and damage.

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