Landslide cuts off new Keningau-Kimanis Road
KENINGAU:
The new Keningau-Kimanis Road is no longer passable to traffic after a landslide at Km 16 early yesterday morning. The landslide which occurred at 4am, left a 50-metre gap on the road. District Public Works Department (PWD) Engineer Edward Lingkapo said it would take some time to repair the road and he advised motorists to use the Keningau-Tambunan-Kota Kinabalu Road for the time being. “I was told by the contractor that the repair will take some time, depending on the weather. However, a temporary bypass will be created as soon as possible,” he said. Signboards would be put up at both the Keningau and Papar ends of the road to warn road users of the landslides, he said. Meanwhile, a motorist in his 60’s cheated death when a Vigo four wheel drive vehicle he was driving, ploughed onto the mud and slid down the hill early yesterday. The motorist said he was on his way from Tawau to Kota Kinabalu and was taking the Kimanis-Keningau Road. “The vehicle got stuck in the mud and slid down. There was nothing I could do except to get out of the vehicle and watched it sliding down the hill,” he said. Confirming the incident, Keningau OCPD DSP Zahari Mohamad said the vehicle was found about 100 metres from the road, and had been pulled out by a crane at 11am yesterday. Zahari advised the public not to go to the affected area because the risk of another landslide occurring is high with the continued rainfall. He also said they should use either Tambunan Road, Sipitang Road or Ranau Road to get to the West Coast. Meanwhile, District Officer Zulkifli Nasir urged the PWD to put up the road closure signs at strategic locations before the affected area. One of the locations is Kampung Bulu Silou, he said. It was learnt that the road which was opened to road users about two years ago has yet to be handed over to the PWD. The road is preferred by going to the Keningau, Tenom and other districts nowadays as it reduces travelling time by at least one hour.
