ID :
34535
Mon, 12/08/2008 - 18:42
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/34535
The shortlink copeid
LIFE GOES ON FOR LANDSLIDE VICTIMS
By Kurniawati Kamaruddin & Syreen Rashid
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 (Bernama) -- Whatever happens, life has to go on.
This was demonstrated today by a group of Muslims among the residents of
Bukit Antarabangsa in Hulu Klang near here trapped in their homes by a landslide
that has cut the access road to their housing estates.
There is no electricity supply. There is no water supply, either.
These were disrupted by the landslide, which occurred at about 4am on Saturday,
killing four people and flattening 14 bungalows in Taman Bukit Mewah and Taman
Bukit Utama.
But today is Eid al-Adha (the festval of sacrifice).
The 100 or so people cleaned up the mosque in Bukit Utama, construction of
which was 90 per cent complete, and held their prayers there.
"We observed the occasion on a moderate scale while waiting for the road
access to the area to be restored for the (trapped) residents to get out of
here," Bukit Utama resident Dr Mohd Rafik Abd Rahman told Bernama.
He said the residents together swept the sand and dust and laid mats on the
floor to hold the prayers this morning.
In times like this, one's safety takes precedence over one's comfort, he
said.
"We expected the mosque to be ready before Aidil Adha but the landslide
happened. Nevertheless, we used the mosque all the same," he said.
Meanwhile, Muslim residents of Sinar Ukay Condominium held an Eid al-Adha
reception for Muslim residents of the Kyoto Garden Condominium.
A resident of Sinar Ukay Condominium, Bernama Radio 24 producer Rahayu
Nordin, said: "All of us brought food and shared it."
The Muslims in the Bukit Mewah area attended prayers at the Addiniah surau,
which is being used for the search-and-rescue (SAR) operation following the
landslide.
The surau had a surprise visitor this morning in Information Minister Ahmad
Shabery Cheek who attended the prayers along with the residents.
Also present were Deputy Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar and
Selangor State Chief Police Officer Khalid Abu Bakar.
All personnel involved in the SAR operation and journalists were feted
to a
Eid-al-Adha feast at the nearby operations room.
Some 30 people from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had gathered at
the relief centre at a school in Hulu Klang since Saturday to cook meals
for the victims of the landslide and the SAR personnel.
One of the NGO volunteers told Bernama they prepared meals for at least
1,500 people daily.
"We prepare breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner daily," he said.
This morning, only members of one family remained at the relief centre, and
they are expected to move elsewhere this evening.
Saturday's landslide claimed the lives of veterinary doctor Dr N.
Yogeswari, 40, accountant Eng Yee Peng, 30, Shaiful Khas Shahrudin, 20, and an
Indonesian national, Surinah, 30s.
The SAR operation, called off at 6.30pm yesterday, was resumed at
9.30pm
following a report that Yogeswari's Sri Lankan maid was missing and
could be
trapped in the rubble.
-- BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 (Bernama) -- Whatever happens, life has to go on.
This was demonstrated today by a group of Muslims among the residents of
Bukit Antarabangsa in Hulu Klang near here trapped in their homes by a landslide
that has cut the access road to their housing estates.
There is no electricity supply. There is no water supply, either.
These were disrupted by the landslide, which occurred at about 4am on Saturday,
killing four people and flattening 14 bungalows in Taman Bukit Mewah and Taman
Bukit Utama.
But today is Eid al-Adha (the festval of sacrifice).
The 100 or so people cleaned up the mosque in Bukit Utama, construction of
which was 90 per cent complete, and held their prayers there.
"We observed the occasion on a moderate scale while waiting for the road
access to the area to be restored for the (trapped) residents to get out of
here," Bukit Utama resident Dr Mohd Rafik Abd Rahman told Bernama.
He said the residents together swept the sand and dust and laid mats on the
floor to hold the prayers this morning.
In times like this, one's safety takes precedence over one's comfort, he
said.
"We expected the mosque to be ready before Aidil Adha but the landslide
happened. Nevertheless, we used the mosque all the same," he said.
Meanwhile, Muslim residents of Sinar Ukay Condominium held an Eid al-Adha
reception for Muslim residents of the Kyoto Garden Condominium.
A resident of Sinar Ukay Condominium, Bernama Radio 24 producer Rahayu
Nordin, said: "All of us brought food and shared it."
The Muslims in the Bukit Mewah area attended prayers at the Addiniah surau,
which is being used for the search-and-rescue (SAR) operation following the
landslide.
The surau had a surprise visitor this morning in Information Minister Ahmad
Shabery Cheek who attended the prayers along with the residents.
Also present were Deputy Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar and
Selangor State Chief Police Officer Khalid Abu Bakar.
All personnel involved in the SAR operation and journalists were feted
to a
Eid-al-Adha feast at the nearby operations room.
Some 30 people from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had gathered at
the relief centre at a school in Hulu Klang since Saturday to cook meals
for the victims of the landslide and the SAR personnel.
One of the NGO volunteers told Bernama they prepared meals for at least
1,500 people daily.
"We prepare breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner daily," he said.
This morning, only members of one family remained at the relief centre, and
they are expected to move elsewhere this evening.
Saturday's landslide claimed the lives of veterinary doctor Dr N.
Yogeswari, 40, accountant Eng Yee Peng, 30, Shaiful Khas Shahrudin, 20, and an
Indonesian national, Surinah, 30s.
The SAR operation, called off at 6.30pm yesterday, was resumed at
9.30pm
following a report that Yogeswari's Sri Lankan maid was missing and
could be
trapped in the rubble.
-- BERNAMA
