By : Phuah Ken Lin

GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA: A massive landslide in Paya Terubong narrowly missed an apartment building but destroyed at least eight cars parked beneath the 30-metre hillslope early yesterday.

The 3am landslide caused by continuous rain, washed down tonnes of earth, uprooted dozens of trees and caused several boulders to crash down on the outdoor car park.

With the surface of the car park covered with a thick layer of mud, Taman Terubong Jaya residents had difficulty salvaging their cars.

It was a case of no hope for Teh Han Cheow, 34, after his Honda City was crushed by earth and boulders.

"I am sad because my car, which I bought for RM85,000 two years ago, is beyond repair.

"To make matters worse, the insurance company has confirmed that it will not compensate me for my losses as the damage was caused by a natural disaster," said Teh, who cut a forlorn figure when met at the scene.

He said he was notified by a security guard that his car was destroyed.

Meanwhile, Siti Hayati Noor, 25, said she was fortunate that her car was not affected by the landslide.

"My car was parked further away and the landslide narrowly missed it."

The chief minister's political secretary, Ng Wei Aik, who visited the scene, said he would ask the state Public Works Department to identify landslide-prone areas in the state.

"We will identify these areas so that retention walls can be constructed on the hillslopes to prevent landslides."