Death toll from Sabah floods and landslides climbs to 13

After 18 hours of relentless search and rescue efforts, the body of Kemiey Asphereynda Benny was finally retrieved from the rubble of a landslide that struck her home in the town of Papar in Sabah, Malaysia, on Sept 15.

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The 10-year-old was the last victim to be recovered after her mother Wong Moi Ling, 34, and younger brother Christen Kell Benny, six, were found minutes apart earlier in the afternoon.

Rescuers rushed to Kampung Marahang Tuntul after receiving a distress call at about 9.20am. By the time they arrived, the family’s house had already been flattened and swallowed by tonnes of earth.

“They were all trapped under the debris. The first victim was found at 4.20pm, the second five minutes later, and the last at 8.45pm,” said Sabah Fire and Rescue Department director Mohd Pisar Aziz.

Firefighters, soldiers, police and other emergency personnel worked tirelessly through rain and mud, hoping to bring the family out alive. All three were confirmed dead at the scene by Health Ministry officers.

The operation, involving more than a dozen rescuers, ended at 2.05am on Sept 16.

The tragedy adds to the mounting toll from Sabah’s landslides and floods, which have now claimed 13 lives.