Campground recorded: At least 16 dead in landslide in Malaysia

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People assess the damage after the landslide in Batang Kali

Photo: ARIF KARTONO / AFP

At least 16 people have died in a landslide in Malaysia.

17 others are still missing, according to the local civil protection agency.

A campsite in Batang Kali, about 50 kilometers north of the capital Kuala Lumpur, was hit by the landslide during the night.

Police say a five-year-old child is among the dead.

The Reuters news agency reports 18 dead, including three children.

More than 60 people have been saved so far, as the authority further announced on Twitter.

Her injuries ranged from minor abrasions to severe spinal injuries, Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa said.

More than 400 helpers searched for the missing.

There is no official information on the nationalities of the victims.

According to the authorities, the operators of the campsite did not have the necessary license.

The landslide happened not far from the tourist-popular Genting Highlands, a holiday region known, among other things, for its peak resorts.

What triggered the landslide in the wooded, hilly area is yet to be seen.

There had been heavy rainfall in Malaysia in the past few days.

However, eyewitnesses reported that it had recently only drizzled slightly in the affected region.

aeh/dpa/Reuters