2 dead, nearly 50 people feared buried after landslide hits Malaysian campsite

Kuala Lumpur: Two people are dead and more than 50 are missing after a landslide struck a campsite in Malaysia early on Friday, officials said, as search and rescue personnel scoured the site for survivors.

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.

A total of 79 people were caught in the landslide and 23 had been found safe, the department said. In addition to the two dead, three were injured and 51 were still missing.

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), the department's director, Norazam Khamis, said.

The disaster struck just outside the Genting Highlands, a scenic hill country area in Batang Kali district, north of the capital that is popular for its resorts and natural beauty.

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. A year ago, about 21,000 people were displaced by flooding from torrential rain in seven states across the country.