KUANTAN, Jan 7 — Residents of 66 units of houses in Taman Gambang Damai here, were ordered to move out today, as a precautionary measure after two houses there collapsed due to soil movements on Tuesday.

Pahang Local Government and Housing Committee chairman Datuk Abd Rahim Muda said they consisted of homeowners located within 100 metres of the scene of the incident.

"We will call a slope expert from Cameron Highlands to make an assessment immediately to ensure the situation is safe before they can be allowed to return home.

"Currently, we are also placing officers from the Pahang Minerals and Geosciences Department to monitor and make hourly reports on the condition of the soil to see if there is still movement,” he said.

Abd Rahim said this to reporters after visiting the location of the incident today, with Deputy Finance Minister II, Mohd Shahar Abdullah who is also the Paya Besar Member of Parliament.

Residents who were ordered to move, were currently housed in a nearby resort with the help of a developer, in addition to some opting to board with relatives or rent in a nearby residential area.

Apart from that, Abd Rahim also informed that they were aware that there were ground cracks at a water tank at the location of the collapsed houses and immediate action to empty the tank was taken.

On Tuesday, two houses in the housing area collapsed around 3.30 am, believed to be because of soil movements due to continuous rain since last Saturday.

However, no casualties were reported as the occupants had left the house a few hours before the incident. — Bernama