Malaysia landslide: at least 24 killed and 9 missing at campsite near Kuala Lumpur (UPDATE)

The Guardian
Fri, 16 Dec 2022 10:52 UTC

© AP/Malaysia Civil Defence

Malaysian rescuers search for survivors after a landslide that killed at least 12 people at a campsite about 50km north of Kuala Lumpur early on Friday.

A landslide killed at least 12 people while they slept at a Malaysian campsite near Kuala Lumpur early on Friday, officials said, as search teams scoured thick mud and downed trees for more than 20 people still missing.

A child and a woman were found among the dead, authorities said, while one of the eight people taken to hospital was pregnant. Others had injuries ranging from minor cuts to a suspected spinal injury.

More than 90 people were caught in the landslide, which occurred about 3am and tore down a hillside into a farm with camping facilities, engulfing the campsite about 50km north of Kuala Lumpur, the capital, the state fire and rescue department said. Fifty-nine had been found safe and 22 were still missing.

Three people were injured while rescuers were searching for the missing, the department said.

Teh Lynn Xuan, 22, said she was camping with 40 others when the landslide struck. One of her brothers died, while another was in the hospital, she said.

"I heard a loud sound like thunder, but it was the rocks falling," she told Malay-language daily Berita Haria. "We felt the tents becoming unstable and soil was falling around us. Luckily, I was able to leave the tent and go to someplace safer.

"My mother and I managed to crawl out and save ourselves."

District police chief Suffian Abdullah said the dead were all Malaysians and included a child aged about five.

Almost 400 people from several agencies had been deployed, with search-and-rescue efforts ongoing, he said.

The landslide in Selangor state fell from an estimated height of 30 metres (98ft) and covered an area of about 0.4 hectares, the fire and rescue department said. It posted pictures of rescuers with flashlights digging through soil and rubble in the early hours of the morning.

Footage from local television showed the aftermath of a large landslide through a steep, forested area beside a road, while other images on social media showed rescue workers clambering over thick mud, large trees and other debris.

"I pray that the missing victims can be found safely soon," Malaysia's minister of natural resources, environment and climate change, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, tweeted on Friday morning, one of several ministers who were heading to the scene. "The rescue team has been working since early."

The disaster struck in Batang Kali town, just outside the popular hilltop area of Genting Highlands, a tourist destination known for its natural beauty, resorts and Malaysia's only casino.

News agency Bernama tweeted that all campsites and water recreation areas around Batang Kali had been ordered to close immediately until further notice, citing the minister of home affairs.

Pictures posted on the Father's Organic Farm Facebook page show a farmhouse in a small valley, with a large area where tents can be set up.

Selangor is Malaysia's most affluent state and has suffered landslides before, often attributed to forest and land clearance. The region is in its rainy season but no heavy rain or earthquakes were recorded overnight.

With Reuters and Associated Press

Comment: Update December 17

The Independent reports:

Malaysia landslide death toll rises to 24 as search for missing continues

Rescue workers on Saturday recovered the bodies of one woman and two children, taking the death toll from the horrific landslide at an unlicensed campsite in Kuala Lumpur to 24.

A landslide in Batang Kali, a popular hilly area about 50 km north of Kuala Lumpur, killed 24 people on Friday -- seven among them were children.

Reuters reported that 94 people were sleeping at the camping site when the dirt fell from a road about 100 feet above them and covered about three acres.

On Saturday, efforts were underway to rescue nearly a dozen trapped workers. Later, officials said that nine people are missing. Rescue workers also recovered the bodies of a woman and two children during the search operation.

Of the 94 people who were caught in the landslide, 61 are reportedly safe and the survivors are in stable condition, according to Malaysia's health minister, Zaliha Mustafa.

A total of 135 responders and seven rescue dogs resumed scouring through thick mud and downed trees around 8.30 am local time with the assistance of excavators, the state fire and rescue chief Norazam Khamis told reporters.

Rescuers are still searching for survivors who may have found pockets of air to cling to amid the piles of branches, rocks, and mud, local reports said.

Seven people were taken to the hospital on Friday, and dozens more were rescued unharmed. A mother and her toddler were found on Friday hugging each other in a heart-rending scene, rescuers told the media.

Rescue teams worked on Saturday to comb through debris as deep as 26 feet.

The landslide reportedly covered about three acres, and estimates suggest it may have involved about 16 million cubic feet of debris - enough to fill nearly 180 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

While the cause of the disaster remains unknown, experts speculate it may have been due to underground water movement and unstable soil during the monsoon rains.

"We felt the tents becoming unstable and soil was falling around us. Luckily, I was able to leave the tent and go to some place safer. My mother and I managed to crawl out and save ourselves," 22-year-old Teh Lynn Xuan, who was camping with several others at the site when the landslide struck, told Channel News Asia.

The campground is a popular recreational site and had reportedly been operating illegally for the last two years, despite only having permission to run the farm.

Following the disaster, the Malaysian government has ordered all campsites near rivers, waterfalls, and hillsides to be closed for a week for safety assessments.

Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has said RM10,000 (£1861.35) will be given to the families of those who died.