According to officials, a landslide slammed a campsite at a Malaysian farm on Friday, killing at least 16 people. Rescuers are now searching for around 20 individuals who are still missing.
Reporters were informed by Nor Hisham Mohammad, director of the operations section at the fire and rescue service, that “16 casualties have died as of 1 pm (0500 GMT). The remaining 17 are the current focus of the search.
61 individuals have so far been discovered safe following the predawn avalanche near the town of Batang Kali, just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur, and close to a mountain casino resort, according to Nga Kor Ming, the local government development minister.
Veronica Loi, who spent the night camped out at the scene and managed to avoid the landslide, claims that her family was sound asleep when they suddenly heard a loud bang.
The tent next to us was completely gone, she said.
An excavator was spotted entering the area from the main road, and hundreds of government workers, including police and rescuers, were visible at the gates leading to the camping property.
The “Father’s Organic Farm” farm, where the campsite was located, changed its Facebook profile image to all black on Friday.
The “campsite is functioning without a licence,” according to Nga, and the owners will face punishment if found guilty by the court.
Online videos and images of massive trees that had fallen and cars that had been crushed as well as search and rescue workers using shovels and headlamps to dig for survivors near a collapsed building were all depicted.
Malaysia experiences severe rainfall frequently at the end of the year, which often results in landslides. In contrast, no significant nighttime precipitation was noted in Batang Kali.
Although the government has put strong regulations in place regarding hillside building, landslides have nonetheless happened during periods of extreme weather.
Four people perished in March after a sizable landslide brought on by persistent rain buried their homes in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.
A 12-story residential structure outside the capital collapsed in 1993 as a result of a massive mudslide triggered by intense rain, killing 48 people in one of the bloodiest such disasters.
