KUALA LUMPUR: Rescue teams searching for missing campers caught in Friday’s landslide at an unlicensed campsite in Malaysia recovered the bodies of a woman and a boy, raising the death toll to 24.
The landslide in Batang Kali, a popular hilly area about 50km north of Kuala Lumpur, tore through the campsite while people slept in their tents, killing the victims including six children.
Of the 94 people caught in the slide, 61 were safe and 10 still missing, according to the Selangor state fire and rescue department.
Search and rescue operations continued for a second day on Saturday after a halt overnight due to heavy rains that have complicated the operation, said the state fire and rescue chief, Norazam Khamis.
“We have to be careful because there is strong water flow from the top and in the soil. This complicates search operations because the ground is soft,” he said.
A total of 135 responders resumed scouring through thick mud and downed trees around 8.30 a.m. (0030 GMT) with the assistance of excavators and seven canines, according to Norazam.
Norazam told reporters chances were slim of more missing people being able to survive the lack of oxygen and the weight of the mud.
An initial investigation showed an embankment of about 450,000 cubic meters of earth had collapsed. The earth fell from an estimated height of 30 meters (100 ft) and covered an area of about an acre (0.4 hectares).
The Malaysia National Disaster Management Agency said they have identified six victims. The youngest was a 9-year-old boy.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told reporters late on Friday the government would provide 10,000 ringgit ($2,260) in aid to families of every person killed in the tragedy, while survivors would receive 1,000 ringgit per household.
The Forestry Department in several states ordered the closure of campsites and hiking and off-road trails considered as high risk following the disaster.
Landslides are common in Malaysia, but typically only after heavy rains. Flooding occurs often, with about 21,000 people displaced last year by torrential rain in seven states.
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Death toll at Malaysia campsite landslide rises to 24, 10 still missing
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Death toll at Malaysia campsite landslide rises to 24, 10 still missing
- Landslide in Batang Kali tore through the campsite while people slept in their tents
- Initial investigation showed an embankment of about 450,000 cubic meters of earth collapsed
Spain unveils public investment fund to tackle housing crisis
- The Spanish PM said the fund would raise 120 billion euros ($142 billion)
MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday presented a new public investment fund that he said would raise 120 billion euros ($142 billion) and help tackle the country’s persistent housing crisis.
Scarce and unaffordable housing is consistently a top concern for Spaniards and represents a stubborn challenge in one of the world’s most dynamic developed economies.
The new “Spain Grows” fund, first announced in January, aims to replace the tens of billions of EU post-Covid recovery aid that helped drive Spain’s strong growth in recent years.
Sanchez said the headline figure — representing seven percent of Spain’s annual economic output — would come through public and private sources, with an initial contribution of 10.5 billion euros of EU money.
The fund would “mobilize up to 23 billion euros in public and private funding to dynamise the housing supply” and help build 15,000 homes per year, Sanchez added, without specifying a timeframe for the planned investment.
Energy, digitalization, artificial intelligence and security industries would also benefit from the money, the Socialist leader said at a presentation in Madrid.
Tourism is a key component of Spain’s economy, with the country welcoming a record 97 million foreign visitors last year, when GDP growth reached 2.8 percent — almost double the eurozone average.
But locals complain that short-term tourist accommodation has driven up housing prices and dried up supply.
The average price of a square meter for rent has doubled in 10 years, according to online real estate portal Idealista.
According to the Bank of Spain, the net creation of new households and a lag in housing construction created a deficit of 700,000 homes between 2021 and 2025.
Scarce and unaffordable housing is consistently a top concern for Spaniards and represents a stubborn challenge in one of the world’s most dynamic developed economies.
The new “Spain Grows” fund, first announced in January, aims to replace the tens of billions of EU post-Covid recovery aid that helped drive Spain’s strong growth in recent years.
Sanchez said the headline figure — representing seven percent of Spain’s annual economic output — would come through public and private sources, with an initial contribution of 10.5 billion euros of EU money.
The fund would “mobilize up to 23 billion euros in public and private funding to dynamise the housing supply” and help build 15,000 homes per year, Sanchez added, without specifying a timeframe for the planned investment.
Energy, digitalization, artificial intelligence and security industries would also benefit from the money, the Socialist leader said at a presentation in Madrid.
Tourism is a key component of Spain’s economy, with the country welcoming a record 97 million foreign visitors last year, when GDP growth reached 2.8 percent — almost double the eurozone average.
But locals complain that short-term tourist accommodation has driven up housing prices and dried up supply.
The average price of a square meter for rent has doubled in 10 years, according to online real estate portal Idealista.
According to the Bank of Spain, the net creation of new households and a lag in housing construction created a deficit of 700,000 homes between 2021 and 2025.
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