Rescue teams searching for survivors from a landslide that tore though a campsite in Malaysia recovered the bodies of a woman and two children on Saturday, officials said, raising the death toll to 24.
At least 7 children among the dead after slide tore through campsite
Thomson Reuters
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Rescue teams searching for survivors from a landslide that tore though a campsite in Malaysia recovered the bodies of a woman and two children on Saturday, officials said, raising the death toll to 24.
Friday’s landslide in Batang Kali, a popular hilly area about 50 kilometres north of Kuala Lumpur, tore through the campsite while people slept in their tents. Those killed included seven children.
Of the 94 people caught in the slide, 61 were safe and nine still missing, according to the Selangor state fire and rescue department.
Search and rescue operations continued for a second day on Saturday after a halt overnight due to heavy rains that have complicated the operation, said the state fire and rescue chief Norazam Khamis.
He said the bodies of a mother and son were found buried under a metre of mud and debris on Saturday. The body of a girl was discovered later in the day.
A total of 135 responders and seven rescue dogs resumed scouring through thick mud and downed trees with the assistance of excavators, Norazam told reporters.
“We have to be careful because there is strong water flow from the top and in the soil; this complicates search operations because the ground is soft,” he said.
Norazam told reporters chances were slim of more missing people being able to survive the lack of oxygen and the weight of the mud.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told reporters late on Friday the government would provide 10,000 ringgit (about $3,100 Cdn) in aid to families of every person killed in the tragedy, while survivors would receive a tenth of that per household.
An initial investigation showed an embankment of about 450,000 cubic metres of earth had collapsed. The earth fell from an estimated height of 30 metres and covered almost half a hectare.
The Forestry Department in several states ordered the closure of campsites considered as high risk, as well as hiking and off-road driving trails following the disaster. 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.
With files from The Associated Press