Rescue teams searching for missing campers trapped in Friday’s landslide at an unlicensed campsite in Malaysia recovered the bodies of a woman and a child, raising the death toll to 23.
The landslide in Batang Kali, a popular mountainous area about 30 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur, tore through the campsite as people slept in their tents, killing the victims, including six children.
Of the 94 people trapped in the slide, 61 were safe and 10 were still missing, according to the Selangor state fire and rescue department.
Search and rescue operations continued for a second day on Saturday after an overnight halt due to heavy rains that have complicated the operation, state fire and rescue chief Norazam Khamis said.
“We have to be careful because there is a strong flow of water from above and on the ground. This complicates search operations because the ground is soft,” he said.
It has been reported that 94 people had been in the landslide with 61 survivors.REUTERS
According to Norazam, a total of 135 rescuers resumed scrubbing through thick mud and fallen trees around 8.30am with the help of excavators and seven canines.
Norazam told reporters that the chances of more missing people surviving the lack of oxygen and the weight of the mud were slim.
An initial investigation showed that an embankment containing about 588,578 cubic meters of soil had collapsed. The earth fell from an estimated height of 100 feet and covered an area of about an acre.
Malaysia’s National Disaster Management Agency said they have identified six victims. The youngest was a 9-year-old boy.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told reporters on Friday afternoon that the government would give $2,260 in aid to the families of each person killed in the tragedy, while survivors would receive $226 per household.
The landslide swept away a camp on Friday morning, 30 miles from the Malaysian capital. Reuters
The Forestry Department of several states ordered the closure of campgrounds and hiking and off-road trails considered high risk after the disaster.
Landslides are common in Malaysia, but usually only after heavy rains. Flooding occurs frequently, with about 21,000 people displaced last year by torrential rains in seven states.