KUALA LUMPUR: Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said a study is being conducted on the cause of Wednesday's landslide in Kampung Pasir, Hulu Klang and all the data will be collected within these two days.

The report will be presented to the Works Ministry and the National Disaster Relief and Management Committee and discussed in the Cabinet next week, he told reporters after visiting the site yesterday.

Ong said related agencies, especially the Public Works Department's technical committee in charge of hill slopes, were conducting the investigation.

The commitee consists of officers from the Department of Environment, Public Works Institute of Malaysia (Ikram), geoscience experts and engineers from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ).

They will look into why the retaining wall failed and other possiblilities which led to the landslide, he said.

The minister was briefed by representatives from the MPAJ, engineers from the ministry and other agencies, who said they have yet to determine who was responsible for the incident.

The landslide struck three longhouse blocks occupied by 232 people, mostly Indonesians. Four members of a family were buried alive. At press time, two other residents had yet to be found.

Ong noted that landslides were a serious problem in the area as there had been other occurrences there before.

He said he learned that the development project near where the landslide occurred was required to follow guidelines for houses built in a "sensitive zone". He said the developer had applied to the sensitive zone committee chaired by the Selangor state secretary.

"I was also told that a stop-work order was issued before for this project and work resumed after the developer followed all the rules and regulations.

"Thus, the developer was considered qualified and ordered to build a retaining wall. However, the wall was not strong enough," he said.

Ong stressed that under the Street, Drainage and Building Act, a party found responsible for the failure of earthworks, such as a retaining wall, face a fine of up to RM500,000 or jail of up to 10 years, or both, if found guilty.

The Education Minstry said about 20 students were affected by the landslide. They will be provided with school uniforms, textbooks and stationery. Bernama reported that the National Welfare Foundation has distributed aid worth RM35,000 to 66 families whose houses were destroyed by the landslide.

Each family also received RM500, said its chief executive officer Datuk Sayed Abdul Rahman Sayed Mohd.

"With the aid, we hope the victims' burden will be lightened and after this, follow-up relief will be provided. We also distributed coupons to the victims for food, drinks and clothes," he said.