Three trapped and buried incidents in two months - Fire and Rescue Department

PUTRAJAYA - The Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) has responded to three incidents involving four trapped and buried victims over the past two months.

According to JBPM Director-General Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad, these incidents occurred in Jitra, Kedah; Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur; and Gunung Tabai Bau, Sarawak.

"In the first incident, two men were found dead after being trapped in a drain hole in front of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Paya Kemunting, Jitra, on July 30.

"We received a call from the public reporting that victims were trapped in a hole 4.5 metres deep at 9.29am," he said.

Nor Hisham explained that the fire department then used a gas detector to check for the presence of specific gases at the location.

"Our team, fully equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE), went down into the drain and successfully recovered the bodies of both victims," he said.

He said that the second incident involved an Indian woman, G. Vijaya Lakshmi, 48, who disappeared into a sinkhole while walking on Jalan Masjid India on Aug 23.

"The Minister at the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories), Dr Zaliha Mustafa, informed that the search and rescue (SAR) operation, which had entered its ninth day, was immediately called off due to safety concerns for all parties involved," he added.

Nor Hisham said that the final incident involved an Indonesian man who was buried while mining gold inside Gunung Tabai on Aug 24.

"The body of Yoga Anggiska, 26, was found at a depth of 90 metres inside the cave of the mountain at around 4pm on Aug 29," he added.