 A landslide at Bukit Kanching at about 2.45am today has cut off road links at KM12 of the Jalan Rawang-Selayang which has been closed to all traffic. |
Wednesday November 4, 2009
Landslide closes old road from KL to Rawang
KUALA LUMPUR: A massive landslide along the old trunk road near Templer’s Park has forced a road closure.
The landslide occurred when an 80m stretch of a hillslope at Taman Sierra collapsed, cutting off the road at 2.45am yesterday.
Nearby flat dwellers who were alerted by a rumbling sound called the police and Fire and Rescue Department.
Gombak deputy police chief Supt Rosly Hassan advised motorists heading to Rawang from the federal capital to use alternative routes.
Natural disaster: An aerial view of the landslide along the old trunk road yesterday. — Picture courtesy of the Malaysian Royal PoliceThey are advised to use the Middle Ring Road 2 and PLUS Highway.
He said the Fire and Rescue Department crew had carried out a search and rescue operation and confirmed there were no vehicles buried under the tonnes of earth that slipped onto the road.
Clean-up work is currently being carried out by the Selayang Municipal Council, Fire and Rescue Department and 991 personnel.
Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor told reporters at the scene that the road which caters to 80,000 vehicles daily, would hopefully be re-opened by 7am today.
“Works Ministry’s slope management unit and the road division will study the slopes along 13th kilometre of Jalan Ipoh, near Templer’s Park,” he said.
Shaziman said the study was to determine the current state of the slopes and the cause of the landslide. It is believed the landslide was triggered by a downpour the night before.
More reports from StarMetro:
Landslide stirs up fear
No casualties in pre-dawn landslide
Safety measures for motorists
The landslide brought tonnes of earth crashing down and covered a stretch of 200m to 250m on both lanes of the road, prompting the Fire and Rescue Department and the Civil Defence Department to close the road at 4.45am.
Following the incident, Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Mansor visited the scene and instructed the Public Works Department’s slope engineering unit and the Selayang Municipal Council to submit a report to determine the cause of the landslide.
"Construction work in areas near the landslide should be stopped temporarily pending the outcome of the report to avoid another landslide," he told reporters here.
He said work to clean the area was being carried out for the convenience of some 80,000 motorists who normally used the road.
He expected the road to be re-opened for motorists by 7am tomorrow if there is no more landslide or rain that could hamper cleaning work in the area.
At about 5.50am, a police team, including the tracker dog unit, arrived at the scene to comb the area for victims and vehicles which might be buried under the landslide. -- Bernama
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