Landslide at Malaysia campground leaves 9 dead, 25 missing
Kuala Lumpur (AP): A landslide on Friday at a tourist campground in Malaysia left nine people dead and authorities said 25 people were feared buried at the site on an organic farm outside the capital of Kuala Lumpur.
An estimated 94 Malaysians were believed to have been at the campsite in Batang Kali in central Selangor state, around 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, when the incident occurred, said district police chief Suffian Abdullah.
They had entered the area, a popular recreational site for locals to pitch or rent tents from the farm, on Wednesday.
A five-year-old boy was among the dead, Suffian told a televised news conference. Suffian said seven people have been hospitalised with injuries and rescuers were searching for the estimated 25 missing people.
Another 53 people were rescued without harm. Around 400 personnel were involved in the search and rescue efforts.
The Selangor fire department said firefighters began arriving at the scene half an hour after receiving a distress call at 2.24 am.
The landslide fell from the side of a road from an estimated height of 30 metres (98 feet) and covered an area of about three acres (1.2 hectare), it said.
It posted pictures of rescuers with flashlights digging through soil and rubble in the early hours of the morning.
Bernama news agency posted a video of some families with young children who were rescued taking refuge at a nearby police station.
The campsite is located on an organic farm not far from the Genting Highlands hill resort, a popular tourist destination with theme parks and Malaysia's only casino. Access to roads leading to the area have been blocked.
Malaysia has been experiencing year-end monsoon rains, but it wasn't clear if it was raining before the landslide. (AP)
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Bangladesh's ousted PM Sheikh Hasina condemns arrest of Hindu spiritual leader, demands his release
Dhaka, Nov 28: Deposed prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina on Thursday condemned the arrest of Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das and said the leader must be released immediately.
Das who was taken into custody earlier this week on sedition charges.
"A top leader of the Sanatan religious community has been unjustly arrested, he must be released immediately," Hasina said in a statement.
"A temple has been burnt in Chittagong. Previously, mosques, shrines, churches, monasteries and homes of the Ahmadiyya community were attacked, vandalised and looted and set on fire. Religious freedom and security of life and property of people of all communities should be ensured," the former prime minister said in the statement posted on Awami League's X account.
Hasina fled to India on August 5 following widespread protests against her Awami League-led government over a controversial job quota system. Three days later, Yunus, a Nobel laureate, took over as the Chief Adviser of the interim government.
Hindu minority groups have been frequently reporting atrocities against their community members in different parts of Bangladesh, even after Yunus took charge.
There are also reports of the rise of extremist groups like Jamaat-e-Islami and similar ideological extremist wings.
