Landslide hits campsite off Genting: Child among 16 killed

The Ministry of Local Government Development said on Twitter that 61 victims have been rescued from the campsite at Father’s Organic Farm in the Batang Kali area, on the outskirts of capital Kuala Lumpur.

Among those confirmed dead were believed to be one 5-year old boy, six women and one man, police said.

A total 94 victims in total were affected, most of them local residents including workers at the campsite, Hulu Selangor district police chief Suffian Abdullah said.

Among those rescued were teachers and their families from Chinese primary school Mun Choong in Kuala Lumpur.

Those rescued have been sent to a police station in Selangor, with three Singaporeans among those saved, according to Malaysian daily China Press.

The campsite is located on Jalan Batang Kali-Jalan Genting Highlands, less than 15km away from the peak of Genting Highlands.

The camp, located about 4.5km or a 10-minute drive from Gohtong Jaya - a town below the Genting Highlands peak - is en route to the popular travel destination that houses a casino and theme park, offers eco-tourism packages including educational guides on organic vegetable farming.

Roads to the site have been shut to allow easier access for trucks ferrying tractors and personnel for rescue operations.

“All the victims are believed to have entered last Wednesday to carry out camping activities,” Chief Superintendent Suffian told reporters on Friday.

noted that the Fire and Rescue Department has brought in K-9 dogs units in the search for the remaining victims.

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was shocked by news of the landslide and had instructed the government departments to conduct the search and rescue mission in an orderly and systematic manner. He added he plans to make a visit to the location of the accident at night.

Other ministers in Mr Anwar’s Cabinet have also said they will visit the site.

Selangor’s Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis said the distress call was received at 2.24am before rescue teams began operations.

According to initial reports of the operation commander, the height of the ruins is estimated at 30m, he said.

“The landslide is about one acre wide and fell onto the campsite,” Mr Norazam said when contacted on Friday.

He added that personnel from multiple fire stations, as well as the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team (STORM) have also been deployed to the site for ongoing search and rescue operations.

On Tuesday, the Fire Department’s director-general Mohammad Hamdan Wahid advised Malaysians and local municipal authorities to temporarily stop recreational activities, especially in high-risk areas such as mountains, hills, rivers and beaches, during monsoon season.

“We understand this year-end holiday period, many families are definitely planning leisure activities in certain areas, but we hope that these can be stopped for a while for now.”

The Straits Times

Asia News Network

Malaysian Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi on Thursday said the ministry is closely monitoring federal roads prone to high-risk flooding that can lead to slope failures in the current wet season.

He said the ministry is working with agencies including the Mineral and Geoscience Department Malaysia, Nadma and other relevant bodies as landslides are natural disasters under their purview.

Around 1,045 slopes have been identified as “very high risk”, said Malaysia’s Public Works Department (JKR) on Thursday, adding that “Pahang, Perak, Kelantan and Selangor have been identified as the states with the most number of hotspots for slope failures”.

JKR said it is available to mobilise anytime to ensure appropriate precautions, such as warning signage and traffic management, are taken.