Authorities said that five children were among the 21 people who had died in the Malaysian camping disaster as rescuers searched muddy terrain for survivors and dead on Saturday.
After a daybreak landslide struck a tent at an organic farm on Friday near the town of Batang Kali, close outside the capital Kuala Lumpur, twelve persons were still unaccounted for.
More than 90 people, most of whom were asleep, were reportedly present at the campground next to a mountain casino resort when the avalanche occurred, according to officials.
Authorities said that 61 persons had been discovered safe or had been rescued.
According to Norazam Khamis, director of the Selangor state fire and rescue department, two of the deaths were “believed to be a woman and her kid in a condition of embrace buried in the soil.”
Authorities claimed that the farm’s operators would face punishment if it was discovered that they had infringed the law since they lacked a permit to operate a campground.
Late on Friday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited the region and promised to provide financial assistance to the survivors’ families.
Amirudin Shari, the chief minister of Selangor state, announced through Twitter that the state’s picnic and camping areas will be closed for a week.
Malaysia has strong rainfall frequently at the end of the year, which might result in landslides.
On a tragic night, nevertheless, no significant downpours were seen in the region.
The development of hillsides is subject to tight regulations enforced by the government.
Four individuals perished in a Kuala Lumpur neighborhood in March after a sizable landslide brought on by persistent rain buried their homes.
In one of the deadliest of these occurrences, a 12-story residential structure outside the capital collapsed in 1993 due to a massive mudslide triggered by torrential rain, killing 48 people.
