16 killed in Malaysia landslide

A landslide killed 16 people as they slept in their tents at a campsite near Genting Highlands in Malaysia early on Friday (Dec 16).

Search teams were scouring thick mud and downed trees for 17 still missing at the campsite close to a road and near Father's Organic Farm in Gohtong Jaya, which is in the state of Selangor.

Malaysia's local government development ministry said 61 people were found safe, out of a total of 94 people caught in the landslide.

District police chief Suffian Abdullah said the dead were Malaysians and included a child about five years old.

Almost 400 people from several agencies had been deployed, with search-and-rescue efforts ongoing, he told a news conference.

One person taken to the hospital was pregnant, while others had injuries ranging from minor cuts to a suspected spinal injury, health minister Zaliha Mustafa told a news conference.

Teh Lynn Xuan, 22, said she was camping with 40 others when the landslide struck. She said one of her brothers died, while another is in the hospital.

"I heard a loud sound like thunder, but it was the rocks falling," she told Malay-language daily Berita Harian. "We felt the tents becoming unstable and soil was falling around us. Luckily, I was able to leave the tent and go to someplace safer. My mother and I managed to crawl out and save ourselves."

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis said firefighters began arriving at the scene at about 3am after receiving a distress call at 2.24am.

Malaysia's disaster management agency, STORM (Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team) and civil defence force are among the government entities taking part in the search operation.

Mr Norazam said the landslide tore down a hillside from an estimated height of 30m above the campsite, and covered an area of about 0.4ha.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was shocked by the incident.

"I have asked that search and rescue operations be done in a careful and systematic way by all government bodies," he said, adding that he had advised ministers visiting the site to not disrupt operations.

"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 morning. "The rescue team has been working since early. I'm going down there today."

Source: CNA