Retaining Wall Collapse Caused Small Quake-like Shock - Witness

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- The collapse of part of a retaining wall in Taman Bunga Raya, Jalan Genting Klang, near Kem Wardieburn, here due to continuous rain this evening caused a strong tremor akin to a minor earthquake.

Azmi Baharudin, 55, the owner of the affected house, said the collapse also caused the floor of his house, which is located behind the retaining wall, to shake.

"It had been raining heavily since 4 pm, and suddenly I heard a loud noise from behind the house, and the floor started to tremble," he said when met by Bernama in front of his house here today.

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He said that immediately after the incident, he went to check the area behind his house and found that part of the retaining wall had collapsed.

"About 10 minutes later, the authorities arrived to inspect the area, and we were instructed to evacuate temporarily for safety reasons as there was still water flowing on the slope, and the rain had not yet stopped," he said.

Azmi said that for now, he, along with his wife and two daughters, had decided to take temporary shelter at the surau in the housing area designated as a temporary placement location for those affected.

A Bernama survey found that about 10 houses along the retaining wall were cordoned off with yellow warning tape by the police, while members of the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM) and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Rescue Squad were monitoring the situation due to ongoing water flow in the ground.

Earlier, the Kuala Lumpur JBPM in a statement said that part of the retaining wall had collapsed at about 5.40 pm, affecting one house, but no casualties were reported.

Meanwhile, another affected resident, Amran Awang, 19, said this was the first time such an incident had occurred in the housing area since he had lived there.

“At the time of the incident, I was outside, and when I got home, the police advised me to temporarily move to the surau. I don't know how many days I have to relocate, the police only said it would be until the situation is deemed safe,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) chief ACP Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa said all lanes on Jalan Genting Klang heading towards the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) at the site of the incident were temporarily closed to all vehicles.

Speaking to Bernama, he said that all vehicles from the city centre were being diverted to Jalan Tumbuhan and Jalan 1/27a towards Wangsa Maju, and policemen had been deployed to the site to ensure smooth traffic flow.

He added that traffic at four other locations in the capital city was still moving slowly due to waterlogging after continuous rain since this afternoon.

“The affected locations due to rising water are Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah and Jalan Ipoh, Jalan Genting Klang heading towards Jalan Usahawan, Jalan Kuching at the Segambut roundabout exit heading to the city centre, and Jalan Kuching heading towards Taman Wahyu,” he said.

-- BERNAMA