BATANG KALI: Rescue workers scoured a muddy area for survivors and bodies on Saturday as the death toll from a landslide at a Malaysian campsite rose to 21, including five children. .
A dozen people are still missing after an early morning landslide hit a campsite at an organic farm near the town of Batang Kali, just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur, on Friday.
More than 90 people, most of them sleeping, were on the campsite near the mountain casino resort when the mudslide hit, officials said.
Officials said 61 people were found safe or rescued.
The disaster is located in Batang Kali, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, just outside the popular mountainous region of Genting Highlands, known for its resorts, waterfalls and natural beauty.
According to the state director of the Fire and Rescue Department, the ground fell from an estimated height of 30 meters (100 ft) and covered an area of about one acre (0.4 ha).
Selangor state Fire and Rescue Department director Nurzim Khamis told reporters on Friday that two of the victims “are believed to be a mother and her child buried in the ground with their throats buried”.
Officials said the farm did not have a license to operate the campsite and its operators would be punished if found violating the law.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited the area late on Friday and said financial assistance would be provided to the families of those killed or injured in the disaster.
Selangor state Chief Minister Amiruddin Shri tweeted that all picnic and camping sites in the state will be closed for a week.
Landslides are common in Malaysia after heavy rains, which occur regularly at the end of the year, and may occur after bad weather.
However, no heavy rain was recorded in the area on the night of the disaster.
The government has imposed strict rules on hill development.
In March, four people were killed in a massive mudslide triggered by heavy rains in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur.
In one of the deadliest such incidents, a mudslide triggered by heavy rain in 1993 collapsed a 12-story residential building outside the capital, killing 48 people.
