More than dozen dead in Malaysia landslide, many missing

At least 23 people have been killed after a landslide struck a campsite at a Malaysian farm, officials said, with rescuers scouring the muddy terrain for nearly 10 people still missing.

Selangor state fire chief Norazam Khamis told reporters on Saturday the two bodies were found buried under a meter of mud and debris. 

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.

The 23 victims included six children and 13 women. Authorities were still carrying out autopsies and waiting for next of kin to identify the victims.

Norazam said rescuers were treading carefully as underground water streams may trigger further landslides.

Veronica Loi, who was camping at the site overnight and survived the landslide, said that her family was sleeping when they heard a sudden, loud sound.

"We saw the tent beside us was totally gone," she said.

Hundreds of government personnel, including police and rescuers, were seen at the gates leading to the campsite compound, while an excavator was seen entering the area from the main road.

The farm where the campsite was situated  —  "Father's Organic Farm"  — changed its Facebook profile picture to all black on Friday.

Authorities have said the landowners did not have a license to run a campground.

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Frequent landslides

Nga said the "campsite is operating without a licence", and that the operators would be punished if found guilty by the court.

Videos and photos circulating online showed large fallen trees and crushed vehicles, as well as search and rescue personnel wearing headlamps and digging with shovels, and searching for survivors by a fallen structure.

Landslides are common in Malaysia after heavy rains, which are regular at the end of the year. However, there were no heavy rains recorded overnight in Batang Kali.

The government has imposed strict rules with regards to hillside development, but landslides have continued to occur after bouts of bad weather.

In March, four people were killed after a massive landslide triggered by heavy rains buried their homes in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.

In one of the deadliest such incidents, a huge mudslide in 1993 brought on by heavy rain caused a 12-storey residential building outside the capital to collapse, killing 48 people.

READ MORE: Deaths and displacements as floods ravage Malaysia