Batang Kali Tragedy: Rescuers’ Painful Memory of Finding Victims Tucked in Blankets, Embracing

HULU SELANGOR, El Sky News – Although a year has passed, the landslide tragedy that shook the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Batang Kali, Selangor, on December 16, 2022, still leaves a deep scar, especially for the rescue personnel involved.

In the dark night, lit only by torchlights, Captain Hilmi Husman, an officer from the Malaysia Civil Defence Force (APM), shared the most tragic and unforgettable memory. He recounted the moment the body of a child was found buried in the mound of earth, yet the body was still neatly wrapped in a blanket.

Not long after, another heartbreaking discovery occurred near that location. Captain Hilmi found a married couple in a tight embrace, as if the family members were trying to offer protection to each other in their final moments.

These moments of sorrowful discovery became one of the most poignant records in the country’s search and rescue (SAR) operation history. Captain Hilmi admitted that every time he remembers the Batang Kali incident, the tragic memory inevitably haunts him, reminding him of how fragile life is in the face of nature’s power. The Batang Kali tragedy claimed 31 lives, including children.

(Leakim Otid)