Surviving a large landslide at a Selangor organic farm: 16 Malaysians died and 17 more were feared buried
BATANG KALI, Malaysia — A landslide Friday at a tourist campground in Malaysia left 16 people dead and authorities said 17 others were feared buried at the site on an organic farm outside the capital of Kuala Lumpur.
A group of 94 Malaysians were believed to be at the campsite in Batang Kali in Selangor state, around 31 miles north of Kuala Lumpur, when the incident occurred.
He said the death toll has risen to 16, including a five-year-old boy. He said seven people had been hospitalized with injuries and rescuers were searching for 17 missing people. Another 53 people were rescued without harm.
Suffian said the victims had entered the area, a popular recreational site for locals to pitch or rent tents from the farm, on Wednesday. Tracking dogs were a part of the search and rescue efforts.
The Selangor fire department said firefighters began arriving at the scene at half an hour after receiving a distress call. The landslide fell from the side of a road from an estimated height of 30 meters (98 feet) and covered an area of about three acres (1.2 hectare). Photos of rescuers digging through the soil and rubble in the morning were posted.
Many families with young children were taken refuge at a police station. The survivors were said to have heard a loud thundering noise before the soil came down.
According to the New Straits Times English-language daily, Leong Jim Meng said his family felt the earth move when a loud bang sounded like an explosion.
My family and I were trapped in a tent. We managed to escape to a carpark area and heard a second landslide happening,” he told the newspaper. He said it was surprising because there was no heavy rain in recent days, only light drizzles.
Malaya landslide death toll rises at the campsite in Batang Kali, north of Kuala Lumpur
The campsite in Batang Kali, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, is a popular recreational site for locals to pitch or rent tents from the farm. But authorities said it has been running illegally for the past two years. Permission is still needed to run the farm and operate camping activities. If found guilty, the operator faces up to three years in prison and a fine.
Rescuers found the bodies of a mother and son on Saturday, raising the death toll to 23 people, with 10 other people still missing.
Selangor state fire chief Norazam Khamis told reporters the two bodies were found buried under a meter (3 feet) of mud and debris. There was hope of finding survivors if they could keep their heads above the water, but it was not likely to happen.
Authorities said 94 people were sleeping at the camping site on an organic farm early Friday when the dirt tumbled from a road about 30 meters (100 feet) above them and covered about 1 hectare (3 acres). During the yearend school break, most families took a short vacation.
A mother and her toddler daughter were found Friday hugging each other in a heart-rending scene, rescuers said. Seven people were hospitalized and dozens more, including three Singaporeans, were rescued unharmed.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/12/17/1143808592/malaysia-landslide-death-toll-rises
A Landowner’s License Cannot be Confidential due to the Debris Scattering at a Campsite in Olympic Size
Rescuers wore helmets and carried shovels and equipment as they combed through the debris as deep as 26 feet. Excavators were deployed to clear mud and fallen trees and rescue dogs were sent to sniff out possible signs of life and cadavers. An estimated 16 millioncubic feet of debris was hit the campsite, which can hold 180 olympic-sized swimming pools.
Authorities have said the landowners did not have a license to run a campground. The exact cause of the landslide can’t be determined because officials believe it could be the result of underground water movement and monsoon rains.