Anwar: RM10,000 Cash Aid For Families Of Each Of Those Killed In Batang Kali Landslide
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who visited the site of the tragedy last night, 16 December, also announced Bantuan Wang Ihsan monetary aid of RM1,000 each to other victims of the disaster.
By Sadho Ram — 17 Dec 2022, 04:45 AM
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced financial aid of RM10,000 for the next-of-kin of each of those killed in a landslide
Anwar, who visited the site amidst the ongoing search and rescue operations, also announced Bantuan Wang Ihsan monetary aid of RM1,000 each to surviving victims of the fatal disaster.
The landslide, which hit the Father's Organic Farm campsite in Batang Kali early Friday morning, 16 December, has reportedly claimed 21 lives as of 7pm last night. There are 12 victims still missing.
Among those killed include four boys, one girl, four men, and 12 women.
A total of 94 victims have been found at the site of the disaster, with 54 of those rescued found safe and seven reportedly injured. Among those rescued are three Singaporeans.
Anwar said that he hopes the aid can be distributed within a day
"I hope the aid can be distributed [by Saturday, 17 December]," he said, adding that the distribution will be handled through the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and the Prime Minister's Department, and will be disbursed by the Selangor state secretariat in charge of state-level disaster management.
"Insyallah, I will hand over this to (Selangor) Menteri Besar (Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari)," he told reporters after visiting the search and rescue (SAR) operation centre in Batang Kali at around 9.30pm.
Anwar also expressed his sorrow for the deceased victims of the landslide and showed appreciation for the search and rescue workers, who are taking a risk amidst uncertain weather and occasional rain.
"This is a tragedy for us. I am saddened by the tragedy that involved children and mothers," he said, adding, "I want to thank the firemen for their sacrifices working under such risky conditions."
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said that he will wait for preliminary reports before he can decide if a special task force should be set up to investigate whether the landslide was triggered by human error
"For this, we will wait for preliminary reports from the Inspector-Feneral of Police, the Fire and Rescue Department, and all the teams that will be filing reports. I don't want to pre-empt their reports. Let us wait first and scrutinise the reports before taking any action," he told reporters.
