Two dead, 51 missing after landslide hits campsite in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Two people died and 51 others were feared buried after a landslide hit a campsite outside Kuala Lumpur early Friday, Malaysia’s fire department said.

A fire department official in central Selangor said 79 people were believed to have been at the campsite in Batang Kali, around 31 miles north of Kuala Lumpur, when the incident occurred.

A child and a woman were found dead, the official told The Associated Press. Three people were injured while rescuers were searching for the estimated 51 missing people, the official said. Another 23 people have been rescued.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department chief Norazam Khamis was reported by Bernama news agency as saying that firefighters began arriving at the scene half an hour after receiving a distress call at 2:24 a.m.

The landslide fell from an estimated height of 98 feet and covered an area of about an acre, he said. The campsite is located on an organic farm not far from the Genting Highlands hill resort, a popular tourist destination with theme parks and Malaysia’s only casino.

According to its website, there are three camping sites with facilities at the farm popular with locals and that people can bring their own tents and equipment or rent them from the farm.