KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 (Reuters) – A landslide killed at least 12 people as they slept in tents at a Malaysian camp early on Friday, as search teams searched for more than 20 people in thick layers of land, officials and witnesses said. The dirt and felled trees are still missing.
The landslide in Selangor, on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur, occurred just before 3:00 a.m. (1900 GMT), when the person with camping facilities slid down a hillside, the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department said in a statement. organic farm.
Teh Lynn Xuan, 22, said she was camping with 40 other people when the landslide occurred.
“I heard a loud noise like thunder, but it was the sound of stones falling,” she told Malay-language daily Berita Harian. “We felt the tent become unstable and the earth was falling around us. Fortunately, I Being able to get out of the tent and go to a safer place. My mum and I managed to climb out and save ourselves.”
She said one of her brothers died and another was in hospital.
According to the fire and rescue department, more than 90 people were trapped in the landslide, 59 people have been rescued, and 22 people are still missing.
In addition to the 12 deaths, eight people were hospitalized, it said.
Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa told a news conference that one of the people taken to the hospital was pregnant and the others had injuries ranging from minor cuts to a suspected spinal injury.
Regional police chief Sofian Abdullah said the dead were all Malaysians and included a child about five years old.
Nearly 400 people from several agencies have been deployed in the ongoing search and rescue effort, he told a news conference.
The height of the landslide was estimated to be 30 meters (100 feet) above the camp, covering an area of about 1 acre (0.4 hectares), according to the governor of the Fire and Rescue Department.
Footage on local television showed the aftermath of a massive landslide through a steep forested area next to a road, while other footage on social media showed rescuers climbing through thick mud, large trees and other debris.
“I pray that the missing victims are found safely and quickly,” Malaysia’s Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Nick Nazmi Nick Ahmad tweeted Friday morning, one of several people who traveled to the scene. one of the ministers. “The rescue team has already started working, and I will go down today.”
The disaster occurred in the town of Patanga Li, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, just outside the famous hilltop area of Genting Highlands, known for its resorts, waterfalls and natural beauty.
Bernama quoted the Home Minister as saying on Twitter that all campsites and water recreation areas around Batang Kari have been ordered to close with immediate effect until further notice.
Pictures posted on the Facebook page of his father’s organic farm show a farmhouse in a small valley with a large area to pitch a tent.
Selangor, the wealthiest state in the country, has also experienced landslides before, often as a result of forest and land clearing.
Another camper, Leong Jim Meng, said he and his family did not expect a landslide because there was no heavy rain in recent days, only light rain.
“My family and I were trapped when the mud covered our tent,” he told Berita Harian. “We managed to run to the car park and call the authorities. They were there very quickly, about 30 minutes later.”
A year ago, some 21,000 people were displaced by flooding caused by heavy rains in seven states across the country.
Reporting by Rozanna Latiff, Angie Teo, Yantoultra Ngui and Hasnoor Hussein; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Ed Davies and Gerry Doyle
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