At least 18 people have been killed, with another 15 feared buried under mud, in a landslide at a Malaysian tourist campsite.

The site at Batang Kali, in Selangor state, 30 miles (50km) north of Kuala Lumpur, had an estimated 94 people sleeping there when the landslide happened.

According to Reuters, at least 18 people were killed, including three children and 10 women, as they slept in their tents. Associated Press said one boy was only five years old.

Sixty-one people were rescued from the organic farm uninjured and eight, including a pregnant woman, were taken to hospital. Injuries ranged from minor cuts to a suspected spinal injury, health minister Zaliha Mustafa said.

The Selangor fire department arrived at the scene half an hour after receiving a distress call just before 3am. They posted photos of rescuers with flashlights digging through soil and rubble.

One camper, Teh Lynn Xuan, 22, said one of her brothers was killed and another was being treated for injuries in hospital.

She told Malay-language daily Berita Harian that she “heard a loud sound like thunder, but it was the rocks falling”.

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She said: “We felt the tents becoming unstable and soil was falling around us. Luckily, I was able to leave the tent and go to some place safer. My mother and I managed to crawl out and save ourselves.”

The landslide fell from the side of a road from an estimated height of 30m (98ft) and covered an area of about three acres (1.2 hectares).

According to Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, minister of natural resources, environment and climate change, an initial investigation showed an embankment of about 450,000 cubic metres of earth had collapsed.

About 400 personnel were involved in the rescue mission. Footage showed them having to clamber over thick mud, large trees and other debris.

Local government development minister Nga Kor Ming told local media that the campsite has been operating illegally for the past two years.

Pictures posted on the Father’s Organic Farm Facebook page show a farmhouse in a small valley, with a large area where tents can be set up. The operator has government approval to run an organic farm but has no licence for camping activities.

If found guilty, Mr Nga warned the camp operator could face up to three years in jail or fined up to 50,000 ringgit (£9,291). The farm owners did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Landslides are common in Malaysia following heavy rainfall, but one camper said it had been unexpected as there had been only light drizzle in recent days.

He told Berita Harian: “My family and I were trapped when the soil covered our tent.

“We managed to run to the parking lot and called the authorities. They arrived quite quickly, about 30 minutes later.”