Man dies after landslide hits two-storey house in Penang; stop-work order issued to hillside condo site

A 73-year-old man died when a landslide struck a house in Taman Seri Rambai, Paya Terubong, Penang on 25 Oct 2026. Authorities suspect a leaking water pipe at a nearby hillside condominium project may have triggered the incident, and a stop-work order has been issued.

A 73-year-old man died after a landslide struck a two-storey house in Penang on Sunday (25 Oct), local authorities said. The Penang Fire and Rescue Department responded to an emergency call at 8.36am after a landslide hit the house in Taman Seri Rambai, Paya Terubong. Three people were caught in the landslide; two were rescued, but the elderly man was trapped under the debris and pronounced dead at the scene, with his body retrieved at about 11am.

The Penang Island City Council issued a stop-work order to a hillside condominium construction site located near the landslide. Council mayor A Rajendran said the order was to facilitate authorities' investigations into the incident. He told the Bernama news agency that the road and condominium projects had been ongoing for more than a year, while slope stabilisation works were also being carried out in the area.

However, Penang state executive councillor for Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Zairil Khir Johari said that stabilisation works had not yet been completed in some sections when the landslide occurred. “Unfortunately, the section that had yet to be completed was the one affected by the landslide,” he told Bernama, adding that further investigations are ongoing.

Despite the dry weather, soil movement can still be detected at the landslide site, said northeast district officer Isma Suhaimi Shairff. Preliminary findings indicate that a leaking water pipe on the slope and clogged drains may have caused water to accumulate, triggering the landslide, Bernama reported him as saying. He added that a heavy crane and large concrete blocks at the site could fall if the ground shifts further. Meanwhile, the exposed slope will be covered with plastic sheeting to protect it from rain, and six houses in the area have been ordered to evacuate.