Malaysia landslide kills at least sixteen people

A landslide has killed at least 16 people, among them children, as they slept in their tents at a campsite in Malaysia.

Officials said on Friday that the landslide in Selangor state bordering the capital, Kuala Lumpur, occurred before 3 a.m. (1900 GMT), tearing down a hillside into an organic farm with camping facilities.

The cause of the landslide was not immediately clear and there had been only light rain in the area.

The disaster struck about 50 km (30 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur in Batang Kali town, just outside the popular hilltop area of Genting Highlands, known for its resorts, waterfalls and natural beauty.

Malaysia National Disaster Management Agency says there were 94 people caught in the landslide but 61 were found safe, with 17 still missing. Among those killed were three children and 10 women.

Eight people were hospitalised, including a pregnant woman, while others had injuries ranging from minor cuts to a suspected spinal injury, health minister Zaliha Mustafa told a news conference.

District police chief Suffian Abdullah said the dead were all Malaysians, including a child about 5 years old. Close to 400 personnel were deployed for the rescue mission, he said.

The landslide came down from an estimated height of 30 metres (100 ft) above the campsite, and covered an area of about one acre (0.4 hectares), according to the fire and rescue department’s state director.

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“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.

“The rescue team has been working since early. I’m going down there today.”

All campsites and water recreation areas around Batang Kali were ordered to close immediately, news agency Bernama tweeted, citing the home affairs minister.

Selangor is the country’s most affluent state and has suffered landslides before, often attributed to forest and land clearance.

Landslides are common in Malaysia, but typically only after heavy rains. Flooding occurs often, with about 21,000 people displaced last year by torrential rain in seven states.

Reuters/Zainab Sa’id