MUD DEATHS

                 Rains cause landslides in Cameron Highlands and
                 farms, burying some people alive; 6 bodies have
                 been found

                 IPOH -- At least six bodies have been dug from under a
                 landslide in Cameron Highlands, as officials warned that
                 more victims might be found.

                 The mudslide in remote farm areas on the Tringkap
                 Road was triggered by heavy rains on Thursday
                 morning. Trees were uprooted from hills, farm huts were
                 buried and residents evacuated.

                 The body of two victims were extricated yesterday,
                 bringing the total number of deaths so far to six.

                 Pahang state police chief Mohamad Noor Hamat said
                 that the bodies of four people -- two Bangladeshi
                 workers and two locals -- were recovered on Thursday.
                 They had been buried alive in their houses.

                 The police chief said the tragedy occurred when the
                 victims were asleep in their huts near their farms.

                 A rescue team had to struggle along slippery pathways
                 and cut through jungles for nearly three hours before
                 reaching a vegetable garden where one of the workers
                 had been buried alive.

                 Pahang Deputy Police Chief Datuk Zainal Mohamed
                 Tahir said two other Bangladeshis were still missing.
                 Earlier, a police spokesman said the chances of finding
                 more victims alive were slim.

                 On Thursday, one person was rescued and sent to
                 hospital.

                 Police chief Mohamad said locals were helping in the
                 rescue efforts, but more heavy rain and failing light
                 forced the search to be called off yesterday evening.

                 It will resume today if the weather permits.

                 Datuk Zainal said the police had difficulties in confirming
                 the number of victims because "no one has still come
                 forward to claim onwership of the farms or establish the
                 identity of the owners and the actual number of workers
                 employed."

                 Several parts of the Cameron Highlands-Tapah road
                 were also hit by falling rocks and minor landslides.

                 The flash floods, brought about by an unusual
                 North-East monsoon phenomenon, also hit the Klang
                 Valley and the northern state of Perak.

                 Flood levels reached up to three metres in several areas.

                 The Meteorological Department recorded Wednesday's
                 rainfall around Kuala Lumpur at 115.5 mm, among the
                 highest in recent months.

                 Thousands of motorists were stranded at both ends of
                 the Kuala Lumpur-Klang highway on Wednesday after
                 some stretches were flooded for more than four hours.

                 The floods also blocked roads and a railway line in the
                 Klang Valley, causing massive traffic jams.

                 In the state of Perak, hundreds of people were forced
                 out of their homes.

                 Some 300 who were evacuated from the Shah Alam
                 area south of the capital returned home on Thursday
                 when the waters receded.

                 But officials said about 350 others from the vicinity of
                 Ipoh might have to spend the Hari Raya holiday in
                 evacuation centres.

                 A meteorological department spokesman said the huge
                 downpour was caused "by the convergence of
                 north-easterly winds but it is a one-off thing".

                 Mr Azizan Abu Samah, head of the geography faculty at
                 Universiti Malaya, blamed the floods on the "many rapid
                 changes to the land due to development".

                 "Rivers are getting more shallow and drainage needs are
                 overlooked," he said, adding that "something fast" must
                 be done about highways prone to flash floods.

                 "The design of such highways need to be examined,
                 especially spots where water will gravitate relatively
                 fast," he added. -- Bernama, AFP, New Straits Times
 
                       Adapted from The Straits Times, 8 Jan 2000