An elderly woman was killed and three other members of her family were buried in a landslide which occurred on Wednesday in Kapit town, Malaysian eastern state of Sarawak.
The body of the 56-year-old woman has been recovered while rescuers are digging through the rubble with hoes and their bare hands to find the others, said Sarawak deputy Chief Minister George Chan.
Her daughter and two of her grandchildren were buried, Kapit Member of Parliament Alexander Nanta Linggi said.
The landslide affected 13 families, said Chan, who is also chairman of the State Disaster Relief and Management Committee. Two other residents were injured and sought treatment at the Kapit Hospital.
He said that 60 people, comprising personnel from the Kapit Fire and Rescue Department, the police and People's Volunteer Corps, were involved in the search and rescue effort.
Heavy rainfall on Tuesday night was believed to be the cause of the landslide, Chan said.
The people living near the area, which was private land, had been instructed to move out to a resettlement area near Kapit town, he said.
"The area is landslide prone and similar incidents have happened there in the past," Malaysian national news agency Bernama quoted Nanta as saying.
Source: Xinhua
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