About 200 villagers in Kampung Binanon, a remote settlement in Sabah’s interior, have been stranded without access to basic supplies after a landslide destroyed their only access route last Thursday.
The incident also left 15 teachers from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Binanon and SK Mamagun trapped in the area, unable to leave, Sinar Harian reported earlier.
“The heavy rain that night caused severe flooding in the village river, which led to a major road collapse and the bridge being swept away,” said local teacher Aronniegary Anak Enak @ Patrick Gari, who spoke on behalf of the community in Keningau, on Sunday.
He said the group had received initial reports about the road condition early that morning, but weak internet coverage made it difficult to get real-time updates.
“We only saw images and videos of the landslides and collapsed bridge when we were preparing to leave the school around 12.05pm.
“For safety reasons, we decided to stay put. The villagers have also remained in the village since the disaster,” he said.
Aronniegary said food supplies had begun to dwindle over the past few days, prompting residents to look for ways to get help from outside.
“We’re appealing to any parties out there to assist us, especially with food supplies, which are now critically low,” he said.
Kampung Binanon is located about 114km from Keningau town and is only accessible via a dirt road – a journey that takes over four hours, especially during wet weather.
Sabah Works Minister Datuk Ir Shahelmey Yahya said authorities were working to address the situation by activating early warning systems and traffic management plans in affected areas.
“Each district has a monitoring team under the Public Works Department to assess road conditions during floods or landslides,” he said.
“When an incident occurs, the district will activate emergency response teams and implement traffic management plans to ensure roads can be reopened as soon as possible,” he told reporters at a Jom Shopping Raya event in Keningau, on Sunday. – March 23, 2025
