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A 76-YEAR-OLD man died after being buried in a landslide while attempting to activate a backup generator at the rear of a city-centre hotel early this morning, authorities confirmed.
The victim, Agustine Frederick J Lingam, was pronounced dead at the scene after rescue teams extracted him from the rubble.
Heavy rainfall had caused a power outage at the hotel prior to the accident.
Lingam, an employee of the hotel, was reportedly trying to restart the generator to restore electricity when soil from the surrounding area collapsed, burying him.
Chief of the Sandakan Fire and Rescue Station, Jimmy Lagung, said the team received the emergency call at 6.39 a.m. and dispatched ten personnel to the site.
“The victim was buried up to half his body due to the landslide. Rescue operations involved shovels to free him, and he was recovered at 7.14 a.m.,” Lagung said.
Medical officers from the Ministry of Health confirmed his death on-site.
The body was handed over to the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), and the operation concluded at 8.19 a.m. after ensuring the area was safe.
Meanwhile, in Sandakan, approximately 20 graves at the Sim-Sim Cemetery were damaged in an early-morning soil collapse.
District Civil Defence Officer Sulaiman Salama said the landslide was reported around 6 a.m. and believed to have been triggered by heavy overnight rain.
The affected slope was roughly 12 metres from the main roadway, leaving traffic unaffected.
“Monitoring will continue to ensure the surrounding area remains safe,” Sulaiman said, urging the public to avoid the cemetery and other high-risk areas during ongoing rainfall.
He added that Civil Defence personnel are also monitoring several flood-prone areas, including Batu 16, Ladang Sandakan in Batu 10, and Batu Sapi.
“Our checks since 2 a.m. indicate most locations remain under control. Some water overflow on Jalan Lintas Batu Sapi caused minor traffic disruption, though the route remains passable,” he said.
Authorities warned that continued heavy rain could trigger additional landslides and flooding, urging residents to remain vigilant and avoid unstable terrain. - March 11, 2026
