Landslide in Malaysia turns deadly: kills at least 13, injures several more

Kuala Lumpur: Following a landslide in Malaysia's Selangor state on Friday, authorities reported that at least 13 people had died and a number of others were still trapped.

According to the fire and rescue department, the landslide happened at a well-known campsite in the area, and 60 people have already been saved.

Norazam Khamis, the chairman of the Selangor state fire and rescue department, stated that rescue operations for those who are trapped are in progress, with at least 12 teams looking for survivors.

Earlier in the day, the department had estimated that 79 people were trapped when the disaster happened.

But, Malaysia's National Disaster Management Agency later said that 92 people were believed to be trapped.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he will visit the site later in the day and has ordered all relevant government bodies to conduct a thorough and systematic search and rescue effort.

Currently, search and rescue operation is being carried out with the assistance of the K9 tracker dog unit, the Emergency Medical Rescue Service from the Sentosa, Ampang, Pandan, Kota Anggerik, Kajang dan Andalas fire and rescue stations, and the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team, according to Bernama, the Malaysian National News Agency.

The country is currently being hit with the northeast monsoon which lasts from November to March with heavy rain being recorded in several states including Selangor, according to the country's meteorological department.

With inputs from IANS