A landslide that killed 31 people, including 13 children, at an unlicensed campsite in Malaysia last year was caused by persistent heavy rain, not human activity, a government investigation has concluded.
Ninety-two people were sleeping at the site on an organic farm in Batang Kali in central Selangor state when soil and debris crashed down from a road about 100ft (30m) above and covered about three acres (one hectare) of land last December.
Most of the campers were families enjoying a year-end holiday and 13 of the 31 dead were children, the youngest just a year old.
Rescuers found the bodies of a mother and her toddler daughter locked in an embrace, and a man buried under the landslide was uncovered still clutching his dog.
Eleven of the victims were teachers, students and staff from a single school.
The report, which was declassified early this month and made public on Wednesday after a request from families of the victims, said: “The landslide was principally caused by natural failure, potentially influenced by rainfall and geological factors.”
Rain had fallen for five straight days before the landslide on December 16th – amounting to a total of 4.7in (118.6mm), Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in a statement on Tuesday.
The cumulative rainfall for the preceding 30 days was 17.5in (444.8mm), he added.
“This heavy rain caused slope failures, which buried the campsite … under soil, causing damage to property and loss of life,” he said.
“The investigation found no strong evidence of anthropogenic activity as a contributing factor to this landslide.”
Anthropogenic refers to environmental change due to human activity.
Environmentalists have questioned whether development in the hilly area caused the landslide.
The operator had a licence for the farm but no permit to run a campsite. No-one has yet been charged over the incident.
The report said two landslides occurred 20 minutes apart.
It said an investigation showed that slope and road maintenance were carried out according to schedule.
“Without substantial evidence linking human activities to the landslide, it is reasonable to consider it as primarily a result of natural failure,” it said.
The report proposed measures to prevent a repeat of the tragedy, including the development of a slope hazard and risk map for state roads.
