In the early hours of Monday, a landslide occurred in the mountainous Yunnan province of southwestern China, burying 47 people and necessitating the evacuation of 200 more. The incident took place around 6 am at Liangshui village, located under the town of Tangfang in Zhenxiong County. The county's publicity department has initiated rescue efforts to locate individuals trapped in 18 separate houses.
As of now, there have been no immediate reports of casualties or injuries resulting from the landslide. The cause of the incident remains unknown, although initial photos from the scene indicate the presence of snow on the ground. Authorities are actively engaged in rescue operations to address the aftermath of this natural disaster.
Landslide occurs days after severe earthquake
The landslide came just over a month after China’s most powerful earthquake in years struck the northwest in a remote region between Gansu and Qinghai province. At least 149 people were killed in the 6.2-magnitude temblor that struck on Dec. 18, reducing homes to rubble and triggering heavy mudslides that inundated two villages in Qinghai province. Nearly 1,000 were injured and more than 14,000 homes were destroyed in China’s deadliest earthquake in nine years.
Landslides, often caused by rain or unsafe construction work, are not uncommon in China. At least 70 people were killed in landslides last year, including more than 50 at an open pit mine in the Inner Mongolia region. In 2021, 14 workers were killed when a tunnel under construction was flooded.
(With inputs from AP)
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