Malaysia shuts all campsites for a week after landslide kills at least 21 in Genting Highlands
- The landslide in Selangor state tore down a hillside into an organic farm with camping facilities, killing at least 21 people and injuring several others
- Officials said more than 90 campers were caught in the landslide and 59 had been rescued, with 12 still missing
The Malaysian government on Friday ordered a blanket ban on all campsites in the country after 21 people, including children, died in an early morning landslide at an unlicensed camping area near the country’s popular hilltop casino resort of Genting Highlands.
A total of 94 people were reportedly at the campsite when the landslide hit at 3am, burying over one acre of land under the soil that slipped from a height of more than 30 metres.
Among the victims were three children and 10 women, according to the fire and rescue department. Seventeen victims were still missing as of 1pm on Friday. Of those rescued, three were Singaporeans, according to the city state’s foreign ministry.
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Malaysia landslide kills at least 18 campers overnight, countless still missing
The shutdown order came from Minister of Local Government Development Nga Kor Ming, who visited the site of the disaster, located some 25km northeast of the capital Kuala Lumpur with an elevation of over 900m making it popular with locals looking for a respite from the tropical heat.
“An order was made this morning to the 155 local authorities to immediately close all campsites for seven days,” the minister told reporters.
On top of that, campsites near waterfalls, hill cliffs, and at-risk areas will have to be vacated indefinitely until the government issues a new order, he said, given it is forecast to rain for five days beginning Saturday.
Nga also revealed that the affected campsite, Father’s Organic Farm, was only licensed to operate as an organic farm and did not have the proper paperwork to operate a campsite.