PUCHONG, Dec 17 — A resident on Jalan Wawasan here, was stunned to find a large crater in front of his house, following a landslide in the area.

Recounting the incident, Abd Rahim Md Ali, 72, said he and his family quickly ran outdoors to see what was happening on hearing a thunderous sound akin to the snapping of a tree.

“When the front door was opened, we were shocked to see the front of the house had turned into a crater and we all quickly fled through the back door.

“Even more surprising, the road in front of my house had collapsed, and a Honda City car parked by the roadside was also seen submerged in the crater,” he said when interviewed at the scene today.

According to him, before the incident occurred, he was getting ready to perform the Maghrib prayer with his family when they heard the distressing screams of neighbours.

“A few minutes later, fire department personnel and the police arrived and they told us to vacate the house for safety reasons,” he said, adding that he and his family are now at a temporary relief centre set up at Subang Jaya City Council multipurpose hall.

Another resident, Tung Ei Lee, 42, said the incident was the first of its kind in decades during her time living there.

“I was tidying up the house when suddenly, a neighbour knocked on my door, informing me about the landslide. I rushed outside and saw tree branches falling. I quickly got hold of some important documents and left the house,” said Tung who moved to her siblings’ home.

Yesterday, 29 occupants of nine terraced houses in Taman Wawasan Puchong were directed to evacuate due to safety concerns following the landslide near their houses.

Meanwhile, Subang Member of Parliament Wong Chen, when met by reporters at the scene, said the affected residents could come to the parliamentary office to receive assistance of RM1,000 from 10am tomorrow.

“We might provide additional assistance next week because the repair work is expected to take two weeks. We have allocated sufficient funds to support their temporary accommodation in a hotel,” he said. — Bernama