Malaysia landslide: Bodies of woman and two children found, raising death toll to 24; 9 still missing
- Authorities said 94 people were sleeping at a camp site on an organic farm on Friday when dirt tumbled from a road above them and covered the area
- Selangor state fire chief Norazam Khamis said there was hope of finding survivors if they clung on to branches or rocks with pockets of air but that chances were slim
Selangor state fire chief Norazam Khamis told reporters the bodies of a mother and son were found buried under a metre (3ft) of mud and debris. The body of a little girl was discovered later. He said there was hope of finding survivors if they clung on to piles or branches or rocks with pockets of air but that chances were slim.
Authorities said 94 people were sleeping at the camp site on an organic farm early on Friday when the dirt tumbled from a road about 30 metres (100ft) above them and covered about 1 (3 acres). Most were families enjoying a short holiday during the year-end school break.
The 24 victims included seven children and 13 women. Authorities were still carrying out autopsies and waiting for next of kin to identify the victims.
A mother and her toddler daughter were found on Friday hugging each other in a heart-rending scene, rescuers said. Seven people were hospitalised and dozens more, including three Singaporeans, were rescued unharmed.
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Malaysia landslide kills at least 18 campers overnight, countless still missing
Wearing helmets and carrying shovels and other equipment, rescuers worked in teams on Saturday to comb through debris as deep as 8 metres (26ft). Excavators were deployed to clear mud and fallen trees and rescue dogs were sent to sniff out possible signs of life and cadavers. Officials said an estimated 450,000 cubic metres (nearly 16 million cubic feet) of debris – enough to fill 180 Olympic-sized swimming pools – hit the campsite.