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Dozens feared trapped in Malaysia landslide -officials

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2022-12-16T00:40:26Z

About 100 people were caught in a landslide that struck a campsite in Malaysia early Friday, officials said, as search and rescue personnel scoured the site for dozens still missing.

The landslide in Selangor state, on the outskirts of capital, Kuala Lumpur, occurred about 3 a.m. (1900 GMT) on the side of a road near a farmhouse that provides camping facilities, the state fire and rescue department said in a statement.

At least 31 people were rescued, said the department’s director, Norazam Khamis.

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), he said.

The landslide took place just outside the Genting Highlands, a popular hill country area in Batang Kali district, north of the capital.

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.