Kamil Hamadan said the survivors were wailing and signalling to them using their torchlights. (Kamil Hamadan pic)
HULU SELANGOR: It was cold and pitch-dark when fireman Kamil Hamadan arrived at the scene of the tragedy at about 3am yesterday.
All he could hear were the sound of people crying and desperately asking for help.
Kamil and his team of nine rescuers were the first to arrive at the scene of the landslide at the Father’s Organic Farm in Batang Kali, having responded to a distress call on the incident.
“When we arrived, it was so dark that we couldn’t see anything. We walked for about 300m from the entrance before finding two groups, each with about 20 survivors.
“They were signalling to us using their torchlights,” he told FMT in an interview today.
Describing the scene as chaotic, Kamil, 36, said some of the victims were wailing while others had become silent as the extent of the tragedy struck them. Another group sought help for their injuries.
As his team walked further into the area, he heard more cries for help, including an injured woman looking for her child.
“She begged us to look for her child who was missing. We found the child shortly after. However, her child had died. It was a devastating experience.”
Kamil said some victims were found trapped in a car.
Kamil, who’s from the Kuala Kubu Bharu fire and rescue station, said he has not gone home since the rescue mission began and would continue looking for the remaining victims.
To date, 61 people have survived the incident while 23 have died. Another 10 campers are still missing.
