Three homes hit by mudslide after heavy rain in Sungai Petani

SUNGAI PETANI, Oct 1 — Three homes in Kampung Serukam were inundated by a mudslide following heavy rain yesterday afternoon. The disaster is believed to have occurred after heavy rain began around 12.30pm, triggering a collapse at a nearby construction site. Water and mud swiftly flowed into residents' homes, with one of the victims, Siti Aishah Hassan, 44, recounting how her parents-in-law's house was submerged to a depth of roughly 0.5 meters.

However, both were safely moved away prior to the incident as they had previously experienced strokes. Siti expressed her anguish, stating that the rapid rise of the water would have been catastrophic if her parents-in-law had remained in the house. Her brother-in-law, Rashid Khamis, 44, managed to escape, awakening to find water and mud had entered the lower part of the dwelling.

Household items and appliances were overturned, and the interior of the house was covered in mud. Scientex SP Astana project site supervisor Mohd Haniff Ramli confirmed that three houses were affected, with two situated within the project area. He mentioned that a similar incident transpired a year ago, for which the team cleaned the affected houses and cleared the road.

Currently, the residents' homes are being cleaned, and the extent of the damage will be assessed for subsequent actions. The affected residents residing within the project site were informed about a proposal to relocate them, but negotiations are ongoing. The housing project is currently in the earthworks and construction phase.