The toll from Malaysia's landslide disaster rose to four today as rescuers found the bodies of a woman and her three-year-old daughter in an embrace under the debris.

The bodies of the woman's elderly mother-in-law and her four-year-old granddaughter were pulled out of the wreckage hours after the landslide hit on Wednesday in a squatter settlement in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.

The state Bernama news agency said the last two victims were located early today after a rescue operation that was hampered by more of the bad weather that is believed to have triggered the landslide.

The disaster destroyed 43 simple houses, constructed from wood and corrugated iron, which had been built in the hilly area in the capital's northeast, which is prone to slippages.

Violent storms

In 1993 a landslide triggered by heavy rains caused the nearby 12-storey Highland Towers condominium to collapse, killing 48 people - mostly children and maids who were left at home while parents were at work.

The latest disaster has been blamed on the unusually heavy rains that have hit Malaysia in recent months. Experts blame the unseasonal violent storms on rising temperatures from global warming.

Malaysia has endured almost daily thunderstorms over the past few months, and lightning strikes have set buildings on fire and killed several people.