Eight dead, many missing after landslide hits Malaysia campsite

The landslide in Selangor state, on the outskirts of capital, Kuala Lumpur, occurred about 3 a.m. on the side of a road near an organic farm with camping facilities, the state fire and rescue department said in a statement.

A total of 92 people were caught in the landslide and 53 had been found safe, according to a message on social media by the National Disaster Management Agency.

In addition to the eight dead, seven were injured, it said, adding search and rescue efforts were ongoing.

The landslide fell from an estimated height of 30 meters (100 ft) above the campsite, and covered an area of about one acre (0.4 hectare), according to the fire and rescue department’s state director.

“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.”

The disaster struck about 50km (30 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur in Batang Kali town, just outside the popular hilltop area of Genting Highlands, an area known for its resorts, waterfalls and natural beauty.

Pictures posted on the Father’s Organic Farm Facebook page show a farmhouse in a small valley, with a large area where tents can be set up.

Footage from local television showed the aftermath of a landslide through a forested area beside a road, while other images on social media showed rescue workers clambering over thick mud, large trees and other debris.

Selangor is the country’s most affluent state and has suffered landslides before, often attributed to forest and land clearance.

The region is in its rainy season but no heavy rain or earthquakes were recorded overnight.

A year ago, about 21,000 people were displaced by flooding from torrential rain in seven states across the country.