A landslide at a campsite in Malaysia has killed at least eight people and injured seven, the national disaster agency said.A child and a woman were found among the dead, a fire department official said. Three people were injured while rescuers were searching for the missing people, the department said.Malaysia Landslide: 8 killed, more than 50 trapped near Kuala Lumpur.
Fifty-three people had been rescued, it said after the landslide engulfed a campsite about 50km north of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and left dozens trapped.The landslide in Selangor state occurred about 2am on Friday on the side of a road near a farmhouse that provides camping facilities, the state fire and rescue department said.
A total of 79 people were believed to have been at the campsite in Batang Kali when the incident occurred, it said. The campsite, where people can pitch tents or rent them from the farm, is popular with locals.
Associated Press quoted authorities as saying 51 people were feared buried at the site.The fire and rescue department chief, Norazam Khamis, was reported by Bernama news agency as saying firefighters began arriving at the scene half an hour after receiving a distress call at 2.24am.
The landslide fell from an estimated height of 30 metres (98ft) and covered an area of about 1.2 hectares, the department said. It posted pictures of rescuers with flashlights digging through soil and rubble in the early hours of the morning.
The campsite is located on an organic farm not far from the Genting Highlands hill resort, a popular tourist destination with theme parks and Malaysia’s only casino. Bernama posted a video of some families with young children who were rescued taking refuge at a police station nearby.
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