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TWO men were killed after being buried beneath a collapsing earth embankment believed to have occurred during illegal gold mining activities near an oil palm plantation stream in Jeli, with rescuers forced to battle treacherous terrain to reach the remote disaster site.
The victims, both believed to be in their 30s, died after a two-metre-high soil embankment gave way at an area near a tributary within Ladang Sawit Jerimbong at about 8.20pm on Wednesday.
A third individual reportedly survived the incident.
Jeli Fire and Rescue Station chief Adni Ibrahim said emergency services received a distress call reporting that several individuals had been trapped beneath the collapsed earth, prompting an immediate deployment of nine personnel to the scene for search and rescue operations.
However, the mission was severely hampered by difficult access routes within the plantation area.
“However, the rescue operation faced difficulties as the fire engine could not enter the plantation area due to the narrow and challenging route, forcing rescuers to use a Toyota Hilux pickup truck to reach the location,” he said.
He added that rescuers began the search operation at 9.20pm before discovering that two victims had been buried by the collapsed hillside near the stream area.
“The search operation began at 9.20pm and it was found that two victims were buried following the collapse of a two-metre-high soil embankment in the tributary area,” he said.
The first victim was recovered at 9.25pm, while the second body was located nearly two hours later at 11.18pm.
“Both men, believed to be in their 30s, were confirmed dead at the scene by health personnel before their bodies were handed over to the police for further action,” he said.
In a new development, the identities of two men who were killed after being buried beneath a collapsed earth embankment near an oil palm plantation stream in Jeli have been confirmed, as rescuers revealed details of the late-night recovery operation in the remote area.
Jeli Fire and Rescue Station operations commander Izuan Che Ibrahim said the victims were identified as Muhamad Ali Akhbar, 38, and Mohamad Noor Illyas Suhaisham, 32.
Both men were pronounced dead at the scene after becoming trapped beneath a two-metre-high soil collapse near a tributary close to Ladang Sawit Jerimbong on Wednesday night.
Emergency responders received a distress call regarding the incident at approximately 8.20pm before launching a search and rescue operation in the challenging plantation terrain.
“The body of the first victim was found at 9.25pm, while the body of the second victim was recovered at 11.18pm last night,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
He added that both bodies had been handed over to the police for further action.
The incident is believed to have occurred during gold mining activities in the area, with authorities previously confirming that another individual survived the collapse -May 21, 2026
