KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia will ban new hillside projects after a massive landslide on the outskirts of its largest city killed four people early Saturday and left at least 15 others injured, officials said.
Thousands of residents were expected to be evacuated from the hillside estate of Bukit Antarabangsa outside Kuala Lumpur after the landslide cut off access to housing areas just before dawn, a district police spokesman said.
Television footage showed several houses destroyed by an avalanche of earth, tree and boulders. Police have cordoned off the disaster area.
"So far, we have recovered four bodies, and 15 people are injured as the landslide buried some houses. We don't know the cause of the landslide yet," said the spokesman, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
At least 160 police, army and medical personnel have been deployed to the scene for search-and-rescue operations, he said. No further details were immediately available.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who visited the area, was quoted by The Star newspaper as saying the government would no longer issue permits for new hillside developments.
An aide to Najib confirmed his comments but couldn't give further details.
The Star said on its Web site that the dead included a 30-year-old mother, her 2-month-old baby and her maid. It said 93 people have been rescued while seven others were still reported missing.
Selangor state police chief Khalid Abu Bakar was quoted as saying that up to 5,000 residents would be evacuated because the area was still unstable.
He said the military has been called in to create a slip road to evacuated victims from the area. Police have airlifted three people _ a pregnant woman, a person with heart problems and an injured man, he added.
Some residents believed the landslide was triggered by heavy rain over the past few days, national Bernama news agency said.
Bernama quoted businessman Hassan Saad, 48, as saying he was watching television when he heard the rustling of strong winds, following by an explosion. He said he ran out of the house and saw earth sliding down the slope and hitting his front neighbor's house.
He woke his family of 10 and managed to get them to safety, Bernama said.
The area was close to the site of another landslide tragedy in Bukit Antarabangsa in 1993, when a 12-story condominium block collapsed, killing 48 people.
Several landslides have caused damage in and around Kuala Lumpur in recent years. They are usually blamed on rapid development, deforestation and poor maintenance of drainage systems.
