Landslide Buries Malaysian Campground, Killing at Least 16

The Bridge Rope Swing in Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor, Malaysia. Screenshot via Google Maps

A deadly landslide struck a tourist campground in Malaysia early Friday morning, killing at least 16 campers and leaving more than a dozen missing, according to local authorities.

More than 90 people were camped out when a landslide hit an organic farm in Batang Kali in Selangor state, north of the capital Kuala Lumpur, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA).

In an update on Twitter, NADMA stated that 61 people had been rescued and 17 others remained missing. At least 16 people were confirmed dead as a result of the landslide.

Local media reported that a 5-year-old boy was among the victims who died in the tragedy.

Search and rescue operations at the site are still ongoing, with the involvement of 15 relevant agencies, including the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, according to NADMA.

One of the survivors, Leong Jim Meng, 57, said that campers were asleep when the landslide occurred. Leong reported hearing a loud noise that “sounded like an explosion” at about 2 a.m. on Friday.

“We felt the earth move and the soil came down. It was very dark, and we could not really see anything,” Leong told New Straits Times. “We never expected a landslide to occur, considering it was not raining heavily a few days ago, just some drizzles.”

Another survivor, Teh Lynn Xuan, 22, said that she and her mother escaped the landslide unharmed but that one of her brothers died in the incident. Her other brother was injured and sent to the hospital.

“We could feel our tent losing balance, and it was toppled over. But we managed to get out,” Teh told the news outlet. “There were infants and babies who died. Everything happened too quickly.”

Campsites, Recreation Areas Closed

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed shock over the tragedy and directed all government departments to carry out search and rescue missions “meticulously and systematically.”

Anwar said that he would personally visit the landslide site and called on people to pray for the rescue mission to go smoothly.

“I was also informed that the ministers involved will go down to the location this morning. However, I advise them not to interfere with search and rescue operations,” he wrote on Facebook.

Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that all campsites and water recreation areas in the Batang Kali district had been ordered to close immediately until further notice as precautionary measures.

“All outdoor activities around the landslide area must stop immediately while other campsites have been ordered to stop receiving new customers and visitors,” he told a press briefing, according to local reports.