Search, and rescue teams are looking for 14 people still missing at the campsite at Father’s Organic Farm in Gohtong Jaya, which is in Selangor. They are looking through thick mud and downed trees.
Norazam Khamis, the fire and rescue department head, told a news conference at 5:30 pm that four of the dead were children. All bodies are being taken to Hospital Sungai Buloh.
He also said that over 700 people helped with the search and rescue.
The local government development ministry in Malaysia said that 61 of the 94 people caught in the landslide had been found safe.
A police officer at the Ulu Yam Bharu police station in Selangor told CNA over the phone that three Singaporeans caught in the landslide were at the station to report what happened and what they lost.
The police officer told the station that all three Singaporeans were safe and left.
A person in charge of the campsite who only wanted to be called “Ms Chang” said that 51 adults and 30 children had signed up to spend the night there.
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Norazam Khamis, in charge of the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, said firefighters arrived at the scene around 3 am after getting a call for help at 2:24 am.
Malaysia’s civil defense force, STORM (Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team), and disaster management agency are all helping with the search operation.
Mr. Norazam said the landslide destroyed a hillside about 30 meters above the campsite and covered an area of about 0.4 ha.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim.
“I have asked that all government agencies do search and rescue work in a careful and organised way,” he said, adding that he had told ministers who were visiting the site not to stop operations.
Malaysia’s minister of natural resources, environment, and climate change, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, tweeted on Friday morning, “I pray that the missing people will be found safe and sound soon.”
Lynn Xuan, 22 years old, said she and 40 others were camping when the landslide hit. She said that one of her brothers had passed away, and another was in the hospital.
She told the Malay-language newspaper Berita Harian, “I heard a loud noise that sounded like thunder, but it was just rocks falling.” “We could feel that our tents were getting less stable, and dirt was falling all around us. I was lucky to be able to get out of the tent and go somewhere safer. My mom and I were able to crawl out and get away.”
Leong Jim Meng, another camper, said that he and his family didn’t think there would be a landslide because it had rained little in the past few days, just a drizzle.
Genting Highlands in Malaysia
“They stranded us when dirt buried our tent,” he told Berita Harian. “We could get to the parking lot and call for help. They got there pretty quickly, in about 30 minutes.”
The disaster happened in Batang Kali town, about 50 km north of Kuala Lumpur. It was outside the popular hilltop area of the Genting Highlands, known for its resorts, waterfalls, and natural beauty.
People going to and from Resorts World Genting were told to use the Karak Highway through Genting Sempah until further notice.
The home affairs minister told the news agency Bernama to tweet that all campsites and water recreation areas around Batang Kali had to close immediately until further notice.
On the Father’s Organic Farm Facebook page are pictures of a farmhouse in a small valley with ample space where tents can be set up.
Local TV showed footage of the aftermath of a landslide in a wooded area next to a road, and pictures on social media showed rescue workers climbing over mud, trees, and other debris.
Selangor is the wealthiest state in the country, but it has had landslides in the past, which are often caused by cutting down trees and clearing land.
Malaysia has a lot of landslides after the heavy rains that happen at the end of the year. But Batang Kali did not have any heavy rains during the night.
Even though the government has established strict rules about building on a hillside, landslides have continued to happen after bad weather.
In March, four people died when heavy rains caused a massive landslide that buried their homes in Kuala Lumpur.
About 21,000 people were forced to move last year because of flooding caused by heavy rain in seven states.
In 1993, a massive mudslide caused by heavy rain caused a 12-story apartment building outside the capital to collapse, killing 48 people. This was one of the worst of these kinds of events.