The death toll from floods and landslides in Sabah has risen to 14 after rescuers recovered the body of a 10-year-old girl in Papar late Tuesday night.
Fire and Rescue Department director Mohd Pisar Aziz said the girl was the last victim of a landslide in Kampung Maragang Tuntul, where her 34-year-old mother and six-year-old brother had been found earlier in the day. The department later clarified its report that a six-year-old boy was still missing was inaccurate.
The deadliest site was Kampung Cenderakasih in Kota Kinabalu, where seven people, including four children aged between two and nine, were killed when timber homes collapsed under tonnes of mud.
In Kampung Mook, Papar, three houses were buried, killing a 38-year-old woman and her 11-year-old son.
Elsewhere, a 20-year-old man drowned while fishing in floodwaters in Kuala Penyu, while a 97-year-old man was killed last week when his home in Kampung Sarapung, Penampang, was buried.
The Public Works Department reported 89 incidents between Sept 8–15, including 42 landslides, 18 flash floods and 10 road collapses. As of Monday, 26 roads remain closed.
A high-voltage tower collapsed in Penampang on Saturday, cutting power to six east coast districts, affecting nearly one million residents. In Sandakan, disruptions at the Segaliud water treatment plant further deepened the crisis.
Libaran MP Suhaimi Hj Nasir criticised the GRS-led state government for weak governance and lack of urgency. “People don’t want promises, they want action,” he said.
428 evacuees from 23 villages are housed at relief centres in Penampang, Beaufort and Tawau.
Chief Minister Hajiji Noor has cancelled the state-level Malaysia Day celebration to focus on disaster response. “Our priority is the safety and welfare of the people,” he said.
