A Bangladeshi vegetable farm worker was reported missing and feared buried alive in a landslide in the northwest Malaysian state of Kelantan on Sunday.
Sik Choon Foo, the Gua Musang district deputy police chief said, the vegetable farm owner realized that Akund Md Ziarul, 37, had gone missing when he failed to return to his shared residence not far from the landslide area on Monday, reports Bernama.
He said Akund’s employer had been trying to locate him until Monday morning but failed.
Sik then lodged a missing person’s report at the Lojing police station, before a search and rescue operation was launched in the rain.
“Based on the information received, Akund was at the location when the landslide occurred in the vegetable farm,” he said.
In the incident at 3:30pm, local time, on Sunday, dozens of boulders, wood and mud rained down on two lanes of the road for two kilometres, causing two four-wheel-drive vehicles to turn turtle.
The two drivers escaped with just minor injuries although their vehicles were swept away by mud.
Sik said the road had to be closed to all vehicles but users could use the alternative road which is the old road to Ipoh and Cameron Highlands, Pahang.
“Not sure when it can be reopened because the boulders, wood and mud have not been cleared,” Sik said. “The roads were also damaged and need to be repaired before they can be reopened,” he added.