The death toll from Friday’s landslide at an unauthorized campsite in Malaysia rose to 23 with the recovery of the bodies of a lady and a boy by rescue crews.
The landslide in Batang Kali, a popular highland location approximately 50 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur, ripped through the campsite while the victims were sleeping in their tents, killing six children.
According to the Selangor state fire and rescue service, 61 of the 94 persons affected in the mudslide were accounted for, while 10 were remained missing.
Norazam Khamis, the state’s fire and rescue chief, stated that search and rescue activities resumed for a second day on Saturday after being halted overnight owing to heavy rains that have hindered the operation.
“We must be cautious as there is a strong water flow from the surface and within the soil. The spongy dirt makes search operations more difficult, he said.
According to reports, 61 persons survived the landslide out of a total of 94 victims.
Norazam said that 135 responders continued searching through deep mud and downed trees around 8.30 a.m. with the aid of excavators and seven dogs.
Norazam informed reporters that the likelihood of more missing individuals surviving the lack of oxygen and the weight of the muck was low.
An early inspection revealed that a slope containing approximately 588,578 cubic meters of earth had crumbled. The earth fell from a height of around 100 feet and covered an area of approximately one acre.
According to the Malaysia National Disaster Management Agency, six victims have been identified. The youngest was a boy of nine years old.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told reporters late on Friday that the government would offer $2,260 in aid for each victim of the catastrophe, and $226 per home for survivors.
Early Friday morning, 30 miles from the Malaysian capital, a landslide ripped across a campground.
As a result of the natural disaster, the Forestry Departments of multiple states ordered the closure of high-risk camping areas, hiking and off-road paths.
In Malaysia, landslides are common, although normally only occur after significant rainfall. Approximately 21,000 individuals were uprooted by severe rainfall in seven states last year.
»Death toll at a Malaysian camping disaster has risen to 23; 10 people are still missing«