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.

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