Rescue teams combed the muddy ground of a Malaysian camp on Saturday for survivors and bodies after a landslide the day before killed 21 people, including five children, according to a latest report.
A dozen people are still missing since the disaster occurred before dawn Friday at an organic farm camp near the town of Batang Kali, on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur. Authorities said more than 90 people, most of them asleep, were at the scene near a hill station with a casino.
So far, 61 people have been found safe and sound, authorities said.
A mother and her son were found embracing
Two of the victims are “a mother and her child, entwined and buried underground,” Norazam Khamis, a fire and rescue officer in the central state of Selangor, which includes the capital Kuala Lumpur, told reporters on Friday.
The farm operated the camp without a permit and risks being sanctioned if the courts recognize their responsibility in this tragedy.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited the site on Friday night and announced that financial assistance would be provided to families whose loved ones were killed or injured in the landslide.
frequent disasters
As a result of the tragedy, all camping and picnic spots in the state will be closed for a week, Amirudin Shari, chief minister of Selangor state, tweeted.
Landslides are frequent in Malaysia, particularly due to the recurring heavy rains at the end of the year.
However, no heavy rain events were recorded on the night of the disaster in Batang Kali.
In 1993, a massive landslide triggered by heavy rain caused a 12-story residential building near the capital to collapse, killing 48 people in one of Malaysia’s worst natural disasters.
Source: BFM TV
