Sixteen people died and three were seriously injured in Saturday landslides near an orphanage, 28 kilometers east of Kuala Lumpur, local police said on Sunday after rescue operation was over.
When the landslides occurred at about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday following overnight rain, 25 people were buried by tons of earth while the others narrowly escaped, Xinhua reported.
After overnight rescue operation, 16 bodies were retrieved and nine victims were rushed to hospital.Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said two victims had their limbs amputated at the makeshift treatment center on site before they were sent to hospital.
District police chief, Abdul Rashid Wahab, told reporters that the victims were among the 49 students and wardens attending a motivational course.They were said to be having lunch at the tent where the landslides struck.
The two landslides occurred simultaneously and covered part of the orphanage in sludge, and police said the rescue workers had to dig with their hands because of the fragile soil. Authorities are yet to determine the cause of the landslides, and those living around the disaster area were urged to evacuate over landslide threats.