Two bodies have been recovered by search-and-rescue personnel at the Batang Kali landslide site, bringing the current number of casualties to 23 victims.
A Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the bodies of a boy and a woman were found.
With the latest recoveries, 10 campers are still missing.
Based on the operator’s registration records, there were 94 people at the campsite before the landslide struck.
So far, the authorities have rescued 54 people, seven with injuries requiring hospital treatment.
Earlier today, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis said the chances of finding more survivors of the Batang Kali landslide were thinning.
Norazam said the search-and-rescue operation is in its second day and he does not rule out the possibility that remaining victims have run out of oxygen after being buried.
“Based on a rough observation, the chances (of survival) are very slim.
“But if they are stuck in between trees and rocks where there are openings, they might be able to breathe,” he told a press conference at the site today.
The authorities resumed the search around 7.30am with rescue workers in three zones – sector A (hill view), sector B (farm view), and sector C (riverside).
Norazam said the search-and-rescue operation is now more focused on Sector A, which is the Hilltop campsite at Father’s Organic Farm.
Norazam said it was based on the discovery of the two latest victims, believed to be a mother in her 30s and her toddler son, at 1.05pm on Saturday (Dec 17).
“The bodies were discovered 800m apart near a pond located on the front side of Hilltop. The bodies were three feet deep when they were found.
“We believe soil movement has pushed the victims’ farther from the original locations but within Sector A.
“Thus, the search for the remaining 10 victims will focus on Sector A,” he said.
So far, four excavators are being used in the SAR operations, Norazam said.
“We will request for more excavators so that digging efforts can be expedited.
“After two days, we believe we have covered 40% of the locations of where the victims might be,” he said.
He added that they will only dig until the base of the ground.
Many of the bodies recovered from the landslide were found buried around 1.5 metres deep.
Norazam said the bodies were located in various states, with some only found after a hand or leg were discovered pointing out of the soil.
“The incident happened at night while the victims were sleeping so they may not have been able to escape,” he told reporters at the scene.
There are a total of 135 personnel on the ground involved in the SAR operation.