KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian authorities are exhausting all options to locate the nine victims still missing after Friday’s Batang Kali landslide that killed at least 24 people at a campsite near hilltop resort Genting Highlands.
Selangor Fire and Rescue chief Norazam Khamis said ground penetrating radar (GPR) that can detect buried objects has been deployed on Sunday to help with the search operations.
“We are using whatever resources we have to help locate the remaining victims. Due to the uneven surface at the scene, it’s hard to mobilise the GPR, but we need it as it uses pulses of radar to image the subsurface. It makes it possible to measure the dimensions, depth and thickness of targets, and data is provided quickly and we can cover a large site,” Datuk Norazam told The Straits Times. “It is easier and effective in detecting what’s underneath the soil.”
Because of the uneven surface of the soil, rescuers are using wood planks to ease the mobilisation of the equipment, he added.
Eight excavators were being used for digging through more than a metre of debris in some places.
Mr Norazam added that nine tracker dogs from the fire and rescue department, as well as police and army were involved in the search and more would be brought in if needed.
Over 700 personnel across various government agencies have been deployed after 450,000 cubic metres of earth fell from a height of 30m onto the campsite area of about 0.4ha in the early hours of Friday.
Police have taken statements from the operator and two staff members of the campsite where 94 people, including families with young children and teachers from a primary school, were staying when the landslide occurred. A total of 61 people were rescued.
Hulu Selangor district police chief Suffian Abdullah said the trio from Father’s Organic Farm were questioned on Saturday afternoon.
“We do not rule out the possibility of calling other individuals to help with the investigation,” he told reporters at the site of the tragedy on Sunday, where the search resumed in the morning after a break in the wee hours.
Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming said earlier that the Father’s Organic Farm was only licensed for farming and not camping.
But there has been confusion over the legality of setting up a campsite on private land, with Selangor’s state government saying there are no specific guidelines to regulate such activities.
“Camping became famous during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a new activity and a booming one too.,” said Mr Hee Loy Sian, who is in charge of tourism and environment in the state government.
He added that the state government would meet the Tourism Ministry to draw up regulations to be enforced by district councils.
The Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Ministry is also awaiting a detailed report that can be tabled to Cabinet for further action.
“It is too early for any speculation. The study is ongoing. We will get the report soon and the details will be shared later,” Minister Nik Nazmi Ahmad said on Saturday evening.
