Malaysia: Eight killed, dozens missing after landslide in campsite

Kuala Lumpur: At least eight people have been killed in a landslide that buried a campsite northeast of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur in the early hours of the morning, with search and rescue efforts continuing.

Emergency services, including officers from 12 fire stations and civil defence, said they rushed to the scene – in a hilly part of the state of Selangor – after receiving a distress call at 2.24am on Friday.

The national disaster agency said that as of 9.15am, eight people had been confirmed dead and 53 rescued. Seven were injured, it said in the update on Twitter. Rescue efforts were continuing, it added.

The landslide struck at the side of the road near an organic farm about 45 minutes northeast of the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was “shocked” at the news of the landslide and had been briefed on the rescue efforts. He said some ministers were on the ground, and that he would visit the site later on Friday.

“Let’s pray for the people of Malaysia and hope that this mission goes smoothly,” he said in a statement.

Malaysia is in the midst of the monsoon and experiencing regular downpours.

Landslides are not uncommon in the areas near the capital in the rainy season.

In March, officials in Selangor said they had identified some 150 slopes at high risk of landslides, many of them around the hills to the east of Kuala Lumpur.

A large landslide after 10 days of torrential rain in the same area led to the collapse of a block of apartments at the Highland Towers condominium complex in December 1993. Some 48 people died in the disaster.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA