PUBLISHED ONDecember 17, 2022 3:55 AMBySyarifah NadhirahIn a landslide tragedy that killed at least 21 people in Selangor on Friday (Dec 16), a man and his friend managed to save a mother and her baby.
The man, who declined to be named, told Astro Awani that he was sleeping in a tent with his wife and two children at the campsite near Genting Highlands when they heard a sudden loud sound.
"Luckily my tent was at the end, my leg was a little sprained because of running", he said.
Recounting the moment of anxiety, the man said that all the survivors came out holding flashlights to look for the buried victims.
"We dug the ground until we saw a woman's head, we didn't know who she was.
The woman, whom he said was able to breathe, told them "Don't save me, save my baby".
They quickly dug around the area next to her, and continued until they found the child.
[[nid:610534]]
"My friend and I immediately pulled the baby out. Luckily, we were able to save [them]," recounted the 30-year-old man from Melaka.
According to him, the woman also helped to dig through the mud.
On Saturday, the Malaysia National Disaster Management Agency said that 94 people were caught in the landslide. 21 of them, including children, were killed, while 61 were found safe.
However, 12 people are still missing.
After a one-night halt due to bad weather, search and rescue operations for the remaining people have resumed on Saturday morning.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also announced that families of those who died in the landslide will receive RM10,000 (S$3,070), while families of survivors will receive RM1,000 each.
Counselling will be provided for victims of the tragedy, reported The Star.
ALSO READ: Landslide hits unlicensed campsite near Genting Highlands, killing 21
