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18 confirmed dead, multiple missing as landslide buries Malaysian campsite

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Not less than 18 people have been confirmed killed and over 20 missing after a landslide buried people in a crush of soil and debris at a campsite in Malaysia on Friday, rescue officials said.

The incident happened at a recreational campground in Batang Kali, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the capital of Kuala Lumpur, according to the district police chief, Suffian Abdullah.

“More than 90 people were sleeping on an organic farm when the dirt tumbled from a road about 30 meters (100 feet) above the site and covered about 1 hectare (3 acres ). Two of the dead were found locked in an embrace,” the state fire department chief, Norazam Khamis, told reporters after the incident.

Read also:Venezuelan landslides death toll rises to 36, 56 still missing

“The landowners did not have a license to run a campground. At least seven people were hospitalized and dozens more were rescued unharmed,” said Abdullah.

Government Development minister, Nga Kor Ming, who addressed a press conference, said all campsites nationwide that are near rivers, waterfalls and hillsides would be closed for a week to assess their safety as it is currently the season for monsoon rains in Malaysia.

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