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Genting Highlands tragedy: A look at past major landslides in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR — The landslide at a campsite in Batang Kali near Genting Highlands that killed at least 21 people on Friday (Dec 16) morning was the latest among several that Malaysia has seen in recent history.

A worker looks at the site damaged after a landslide in Batang Kali, Selangor on Dec 16, 2022.

A worker looks at the site damaged after a landslide in Batang Kali, Selangor on Dec 16, 2022.

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KUALA LUMPUR — The landslide at a campsite in Batang Kali near Genting Highlands that killed at least 21 people on Friday (Dec 16) morning was the latest among several that Malaysia has seen in recent history.

Since 1993, more than 28 major landslides have been reported in various parts of the Malay peninsula and in East Malaysia. More than 100 lives have been lost due to them.  

A research paper done by Universiti Putra Malaysia and published in Health and the Environment Journal in 2017 said that from 1973 to 2007, the total economic loss due to landslides in Malaysia was estimated at about US$1 billion (S$1.35 billion).

Here are some major incidents that have occurred:

HIGHLAND TOWERS

Dubbed as one of the worst disasters in Malaysia's history, a 12-storey apartment block in Highland Towers development in Selangor collapsed in a major landslide on Dec 11, 1993 following heavy rain, killing 48 people.

The landslide was caused by soil on a hillslope being saturated with excessive water, resulting in the failure of a retaining wall within the Highland Towers compound.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force joined a coordinated international rescue effort, which also included members of the Japanese Disaster Relief Team and a French civil defence team.

Following lawsuits filed against property developers for negligence, Mr Anwar Ibrahim, who was deputy prime minister at the time, urged for strict inspections of tall buildings to ensure their safety, as well training of local rescue personnel in the event of a future disaster.

GENTING HIGHLANDS

At least 20 people were killed in a landslide at a slip road to the popular Genting Highlands resorts and theme park near the Karak Highway on June 30, 1995.

The Straits Times reported at the time that there were seven Singaporeans involved.

According to other media reports, fatalities include Singaporeans Lim Siew Choo, 22, and Wong Kim Sua, 22, as well as two other foreigners.

ORANG ASLI SETTLEMENT

Around 44 people were killed in a landslide on Aug 29, 1996 at Pos Dipang Orang Asli settlement near Kampar in Perak.

The incident was reportedly caused by heavy rains and construction work on the hill, resulting in soil and mud gliding down onto three blocks of longhouses, which were inhabited by 160 people on the slopes.

About 800 residents in the Orang Asli settlement were affected by the mudslide.

Reports at the time said that then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad dismissed the possibility that the disaster was caused by construction work in the area.

BUKIT ANTARABANGSA

A deadly landslide at in the hillside township of Bukit Antarabangsa in Selangor on Dec 6, 2008 claimed four lives, while 15 others were injured. 

Fourteen upscale bungalows were destroyed and at least 3,000 inhabitants in the surrounding area were forced to evacuate.

The houses were located just a few kilometres from the Highland Towers development in the 1993 landslide.

SABAH EARTHQUAKE

A landslide was triggered by a rare 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Sabah on June 5, 2015. The earthquake killed at least 19 people, including 10 Singaporeans, while 187 climbers were affected. 

The buildings near the summit of Mount Kinabalu suffered serious damage, triggering widespread panic and evacuation among residents in the Ranau District.

GEORGE TOWN

Nine people were killed in a landslide which occurred in George Town, Penang on Oct 19, 2018. The landslide, at a road project at Bukit Kukus, occurred on a large slope that had been cut as part of a highway construction project.

Penang has particularly been affected by several other landslides in the past, with one in October 2017 killing 11 people.

CAMERON HIGHLANDS

Two men died at Jalan Simpang Pulai near Cameron Highlands, on Dec 3, 2021 after a landslide occurred in the afternoon due to erosion caused by continuous rain.

Reports then indicated that the debris from the landslide covered about a 100m stretch, blocking the road from both sides.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated that a landslide at Taman Bukit Permai 2 in Selangor on Dec 6, 2008 claimed four lives, while 15 others were injured. This is incorrect. The landslide happened in Bukit Antarabangsa, in another part of Selangor. We are sorry for the error.

Related topics

Malaysia landslide Genting Highlands Deaths

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