China: At least eight dead and dozens missing after landslide

At least eight people died and dozens remained missing this Monday after a landslide in the remote and mountainous province of Yunnanin the southwest of Chinawhich buried several houses.

“Eight missing people were found and have no vital signs,” public television CCTV said.

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The collapse occurred at 5:51 am (9:51 pm GMT on Sunday) in the county of Zhenxiongnortheast of Yunnanaccording to state news agency Xinhua.

State television CCTV reported that around 18 homes were buried by the landfill and that more than 200 people were “emergency evacuation” in the region.

Authorities mobilized more than 200 rescue teams and dozens of fire trucks, among other equipment, according to CCTV.

At night, as temperatures dropped, there were still dozens of people trapped, Xinhua reported.

A neighbor told Beijing News (Xinjingbao) that she was sleeping when the landslide occurred and that parts of the roof of her house fell on her.

“At the time I thought it was an earthquake, but then I saw it was the hill collapsing.”Another neighbor commented to the same newspaper.

Local television footage on social media shows rescue teams in orange suits and helmets in formation in front of a fire station as it snows.

CCTV showed images showing a mountain village covered in snow and houses half buried in the earth.

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The Chinese president, Xi Jinpingasked to perform “all possible efforts” to rescue people, according to CCTV.

The president also highlighted the importance of relieving the pain of the families of the deceased.”and relocate affected people”.

Series of natural disasters

CCTV broadcast an image showing a firefighter rescuing a resident trapped in a house.

The head of the rural village where the disaster occurred, contacted by AFP, declined to comment.

Temperatures in Zhenxiong dropped to -4°C on Monday morning, according to meteorological data.

Landslides are common in Yunnan, a remote region of China where rugged mountain ranges abut the northern plateau. Himalayas.

China has suffered a series of natural disasters in recent months, some caused by extreme weather events.

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In one of them, more than 20 people died in August due to a landslide caused by heavy rains in the city of Xian.

In September, torrential rains in the region of Guanxiin the south, it caused a landslide that killed at least seven people, according to local media.

And in June, a landslide in the province of Sichuanin the southwest, also remote and mountainous, it left 19 dead.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.