Seven killed in Malaysia landslide-report

KUALA LUMPUR – The death toll from a landslide near Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands tourist spot rose to seven Monday after the bodies of the last four missing victims were found, official media said.

The landslide late Sunday afternoon buried several houses in a village in the region, which is about 300 kilometres (200 miles) north of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

State-run Bernama news agency said two other people were seriously hurt in the landslide at the Sungai Ruil settlement after a heavy downpour.

The village is occupied by “orang asli”, the Malaysian term for the various indigenous tribes that inhabit the predominantly ethnic Malay country.

The Cameron Highlands is a tea plantation region and former British colonial hill station retreat that is popular with tourists.

Malaysia has suffered a series of landslide disasters in recent years.

In May, a landslide hit an orphanage in a rural town just outside Kuala Lumpur, killing 16 people, mostly young boys.