New Delhi: Two people were killed and over 50 are feared to be trapped in a landslide that hit a campsite outside Kuala Lumpur, according to news agency Reuters. The landslide occurred around 3 am in Selangor state, on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur.
The landslide occurred at a popular campsite on the side of a road near an organic farm, the state fire and rescue department informed in a statement.
A total of 79 people were caught in the landslide and 23 had been found safe, the department stated. In addition to the two dead, three were injured and 51 were missing.
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The landslide fell from an estimated height of 30 metres (100 ft) above the campsite and covered an area of about one acre (0.4 hectare), the department's director, Norazam Khamis said, as per Reuters.
"I pray that the missing victims can be found safely soon," Malaysia's minister of natural resources, environment and climate change, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, said on Friday, as quoted by Reuters. "The rescue team has been working since early. I'm going down there today."
The incident occurred about 50 km north of Kuala Lumpur in Batang Kali town, just outside the popular hilltop area of the Genting Highlands, which is known for its natural beauty and resort.
Images on social media show rescue workers clambering over thick mud, debris while footage on local televsion showed the aftermath of a landslide through a forested area beside a road, Reuters reported.
Selangor is the country's most affluent state and has suffered landslides before, often attributed to forest and land clearance. The region is in its rainy season but no heavy rain or earthquakes were recorded overnight.
Around 21,00 were displaced last year, due to flooding from torrential rain in seven states across the country.
(With Agency Inputs)