Malaysia landslide death toll rises to 23

Rescue workers scoured muddy terrain for survivors and bodies as the death toll from a landslide at a Malaysian campsite rose to
Rescue workers scoured muddy terrain for survivors and bodies as the death toll from a landslide at a Malaysian campsite rose to 23.

Rescue workers scoured muddy terrain for survivors and bodies on Saturday as the death toll from a landslide at a Malaysian campsite rose to 23, including six children, authorities said.

Ten people were still missing after a predawn hit the site located at an organic farm near the town of Batang Kali just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

Selangor state fire and rescue director Norazam Khamis said the chances of finding survivors in the mud and debris a day after the disaster were "slim."

Officials said there had been more than 90 people, most of them asleep, at the campsite near a mountain casino resort when the landslide struck.

Authorities said 61 people had been found safe or rescued.

Two of the victims were "believed to be a mother and her child in a state of embrace buried under the earth", Norazam told reporters on Friday.

The farm did not have a licence to run a campsite and its operators would be punished if they were found to have broken the law, authorities said.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited the area late Friday and said financial aid would be given to the families of those killed or injured in the disaster.

Selangor state chief minister Amirudin Shari tweeted that all picnic and camping sites in the state would be closed for a week.

Ten people were still missing after the predawn landslide hit a campsite just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur
Ten people were still missing after the predawn landslide hit a campsite just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Landslides are common in Malaysia after , which are regular at the end of the year.

However, no heavy rains were recorded in the area on the night of the disaster.

The government has imposed strict rules on hillside development.

In March, four people were killed after a massive landslide triggered by heavy rains buried their homes in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.

In one of the deadliest such incidents, a huge mudslide in 1993 brought on by heavy caused a 12-storey residential building outside the capital to collapse, killing 48 people.

© 2022 AFP

Citation: Malaysia landslide death toll rises to 23 (2022, December 17) retrieved 7 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2022-12-malaysia-landslide-death-toll.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Colombian flooding kills 12, two missing: authorities

8 shares

Feedback to editors