Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia –
Nine people were killed in a landslide at a tourist campsite in Malaysia on Friday and authorities said 25 people were feared buried at the site of an organic farm outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.
At the time of the incident, an estimated 94 Malaysians were believed to be at the camp in Batang Kari, in central Selangor state, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, said district police chief Sofian Abdullah. On Wednesday, they entered the area, a popular recreational spot for locals who pitch or rent tents on farms.
Safian told a televised news conference that a five-year-old boy was among the dead. Seven people were hospitalized with injuries and rescuers were looking for about 25 missing people, Safian said. Another 53 people were rescued without injury. About 400 people are involved in the search and rescue efforts.
The Selangor Fire Department said firefighters began arriving at the scene half an hour after receiving a distress call at 2.24am. The landslide fell from the roadside at an estimated height of 30 meters (98 feet) and covered an area of about three acres (1.2 hectares), it said. It posted photos of rescuers digging through soil and rubble with flashlights in the early morning.
Bernama news agency released a video showing some rescued families with young children taking refuge in a nearby police station.
The camp is located on an organic farm not far from the mountain resort of Genting Highlands, a popular tourist destination with theme parks and Malaysia’s only casino. Roads to the area have been blocked.
Malaysia has been experiencing year-end monsoon rains, but it was unclear whether it was raining before the landslide.