The five, one of which has died and the other four believed to still be buried, are Shing Lan Har, 56, Shing Aung, 39, Om Myue, 38, Haphey, 36, and Thang Moung, 25.

“The landslide has cut off access to the scene, which is accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles,” the Cameron Highlands disaster management committee said in a statement.

Pahang fire and rescue department operations commander Ismail Abdul Ghani said personnel and machinery were dispatched from the Cameron Highlands fire and rescue station after receiving a report at 2.51am.

He said a search-and-rescue operation was under way led by the department’s special tactical operation and rescue team, assisted by tracker dogs.

They were also assisted by special forces from Perak, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

“All the victims, including a woman, are believed to be living in a house that was buried in the landslide,” said the department’s director Wan Mohammad Zaidi Wan Isa in a separate statement.