Conflicting figures on death toll from landslide

Conflicting figures on death toll from landslide

Health minister said 13 died while Nadma said there are 11 fatalities.

Health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa (with hand on chair) visiting some of the injured campers at Selayang Hospital.
PETALING JAYA:
There are conflicting figures from the authorities on the death toll from this morning’s deadly landslide in Batang Kali.

According to health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa, as of 11am, a total of 13 people had lost their lives.

However, the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) said in a tweet at noon that 11 people had died.

Clarification over the death toll is being sought from the authorities.

The landslide had occurred at several campsites near Genting Highlands in the early hours of the morning. The three campsites most severely affected were River Hilltop, Farmview, and River Side.

Many of the campers had been there since Wednesday.

Fire and rescue personnel bringing a child and a boy to safety. (Fire and rescue department pic)

While most of the campers have been rescued, search and rescue operations are still under way for over a dozen victims.

Selangor fire and rescue chief Norazam Khamis said they were alerted to the incident at 2.24am and arrived at the site half an hour later.

Firemen from the Kuala Kubu Bharu, Rawang, Genting Highlands, Sentosa, Ampang, Pandan, Kota Anggerik, Kajang and Andalas stations were deployed to assist in the rescue operations.

Personnel from the fire and rescue department’s elite Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team of Malaysia (STORM) and K9 units were also on site.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.