The ministry said the minerals and geoscience department had conducted on-site investigations to identify the cause of the landslide, as well as to determine the danger zones to ensure the safety of the search and rescue operations.

“Early investigations by the department identified the cause of this incident as continuous rainfall, which started at 3pm on Jan 24, with a cumulative daily rainfall reaching 126mm on Jan 25.

“This continuous rainfall led to natural slopes with high gradients, supported by granite rock (exceeding 35 degrees), becoming prone to landslides,” it said in a statement.

The landslide which occurred at 2.30am buried alive five Myanmar nationals, including a woman, who worked on a vegetable farm. The five, who are accredited refugees, were asleep when the incident took place.

The ministry, through the department, recommended that the local authorities consider input from the Slope Hazard Map and National Slope Risk Map Project (PBRC) in the planning of development and supervision of sustainable agriculture in hilly areas.

The ministry also said it would assess the suitability of installing early warning systems, such as rain gauges, especially in areas identified as highly vulnerable to landslides.

These systems are expected to be implemented by the end of 2024 in seven selected areas.

“The department will periodically expand and update the relevant maps through the PBRC to disseminate information regarding potential landslide-prone areas to stakeholders,” said the ministry.

On Sunday, Bernama quoted Cameron Highlands district officer Syed Ahmad Khirulanwar Al-Yahya Syed Abdul Rahman as saying that the farm, measuring approximately 4.31 hectares, had been operating illegally for over a year and was seized by the forestry department last April.

He also said that the farm’s operator had been previously detained.