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A SIX-year-old boy remains missing after days of heavy rains in Sabah triggered landslides, floods and blackouts, killing 13 people across the state.
The boy was among three people caught in a landslide that buried a makeshift wooden house in Kampung Marahang Tuntul, Papar, this morning.
Rescuers recovered the bodies of his 32-year-old mother and 11-year-old sister in the afternoon, but he has yet to be found.
In the same district, a landslide in Kampung Mook killed a 38-year-old woman and her 11-year-old son after three makeshift wooden houses were engulfed.
The worst toll was recorded in Kampung Cenderakasih, Kota Kinabalu, where a landslide killed eight people, including four children aged between two and nine.
Three teenage boys and a 20-year-old man survived, though one was injured.
Separately, a 20-year-old man drowned while fishing in Kuala Penyu floodwaters, and last week a 97-year-old man died when his home in Kampung Sarapung, Penampang, was buried in a landslide.
This brings the total death toll since last week to 14.
Sabah Fire and Rescue Department director Mohd Pisar Aziz said search teams remained on site at Marahang, battling mud and unstable slopes.
“Our teams are continuing search efforts despite challenging conditions,” he said.
The disasters have triggered at least 89 incidents since Sept 8, including landslides, flash floods and road collapses.
Twenty-six roads remain closed. The collapse of a high-voltage transmission tower on Sept 13 in Penampang cut electricity to six east coast districts, affecting more than 1.2 million people, though partial supply has since been restored.
In Sandakan, residents now experience a water supply disruptions after power was fully restored in the east coast Sabah district.
Umno’s Libaran MP Suhaimi Nasir took aim at the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led state government over repeated water disruptions in Sandakan, calling for urgent repairs and long-term upgrades to the Segaliud treatment plant.
Chief Minister Hajiji Noor cancelled the Malaysia Day celebration planned for Sept 16 at Padang Merdeka in Kota Kinabalu, saying the focus must remain on rescue and relief.
“The well-being, welfare and security of the people are of utmost importance,” he said.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal urged the government to strengthen disaster preparedness with proper evacuation centres, early-warning systems and hillside development controls.
The state disaster management committee said search and recovery operations would continue round-the-clock as rain persisted across Sabah.
A total of 863 people from 220 households have been displaced in 23 villages in Beaufort, Penampang, Tawau and Membakut are currently placed in various temporary shelters. - September 15, 2025
