In the 8.50am incident, a 10m-high hill slope came crashing down next to a construction site not far from the Penang campus of the Tunku Abdul Rahman College.

Rescue officials are currently excavating the site to rescue those trapped in the rubble and mud.

As of 10.45am, officials said two survivors who were rescued were believed to be foreign workers.

Penang Hospital paramedics and a Civil Defence team are on site to assist the victims.

A worker who saw the avalanche of earth coming down told NST online that “it happened so fast…there was hardly any time to do anything.”