Malaysia landslide: Batang Kali rescuers recover body of last victim
The body of the final victim of the Batang Kali landslide was found on Dec 24, 2022, eight days after the deadly tragedy. (Photos: Twitter/APMtwiter)
KUALA LUMPUR: The final victim of the Batang Kali landslide was found on Saturday (Dec 24), eight days after the deadly tragedy.
According to a tweet by the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, all 31 victims who did not survive the landslide had been found.
Hulu Selangor police chief Supt Suffian Abdullah said that the body of the last victim was found just before 5pm inside a sleeping bag.
"The victim is estimated to be between seven and 12 years old. His body was fully clothed but had started to decompose," he told reporters on Saturday evening.
The body was sent to the Sungai Buloh Hospital.
Supt Suffian said that the operations at ground zero would go on for now to continue their investigations and flushing of the site.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Wan Md Razali Wan Ismail told reporters that the body was found in soil that was 1.5m deep and that it had been dug up manually.
The landslide tragedy that struck shortly after 2am last Friday morning left 31 people dead.
There were a total of 61 survivors, out of 92 people involved in the incident.
The landslide in Batang Kali, a popular hilly area near Genting Highlands, tore through an unlicensed campsite while people slept in their tents.
Based on an initial investigation, the authorities said that an embankment of about 450,000 cubic metres of earth had collapsed, causing the earth to fall from an estimated height of 30m and cover an area of about 0.4ha.
The police have previously said that they recorded statements from 53 people to assist in investigations, including the operator of the campsite.
Landslides are common in Malaysia, but typically only after heavy rains.
Flooding occurs often, with about 70,000 people already displaced this year by torrential rain in several states.
