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HomeWorldLandslides in Malaysia: At least 19 campers dead and more missing

Landslides in Malaysia: At least 19 campers dead and more missing

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At least 19 people, including children, have been killed by a landslide at a holiday camp in the Malaysian state of Selangor.

The families were sleeping in their tents when the mudslide hit a farm establishment in Batang Kali township at 03:00 (Thursday 19:00 GMT) on Friday.

Hundreds of rescuers spent Friday digging through mud to search for survivors.

At least 30 children and 51 adults were registered for overnight stays, farm managers said.

Malaysian authorities said 14 people were still missing and about 700 personnel were engaged in search and rescue operations, JEE News reported.

The Malaysian fire department said at least four children were among the dead.

More than 20 primary school teachers and their family members were there, JEE News reported.

Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming reported that the camping site was operating illegally.

Mr Enga also said he ordered the immediate closure of all “high-risk” camping sites across the country – located along rivers, waterfalls and hills – for seven days.

It is unclear what caused the landslide, which occurred in a forested hillside area along a road in Batang Kali near the Genting Highlands region.

Locals reported light rain, but no heavy rains or earthquakes. However, the monsoon season is currently underway in Malaysia.

The landslide started on a slope more than 30 meters (100 ft) above the campsite and ran through an acre of land.

Photos posted online by Malaysian aid agencies showed crews of helmeted workers climbing over uneven ground, uprooted trees and other debris.

One of the campers, Teh Lin Shuan, said she and her mother survived, but her brother died and another brother was taken to hospital with injuries.

“We felt the tents becoming unstable and the mud falling around us,” he told JEE News.

“My mother and I managed to crawl and save ourselves.”

She said she was camping with a large group of over 40 people.

Another survivor, Leung Jim Meng, said he heard an explosion before the ground shook.

It woke him and his family, who were briefly trapped in their tents by the debris before they managed to get out.

“It was too dark to see clearly what was going on,” he said.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was scheduled to arrive at the venue later on Friday after visits by several other government ministers.

He took to his Facebook page to express his condolences to the victims and pray for more families.

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