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A landslide in southwest China prompted rescue efforts after it left at least 47 people buried in the mountainous Yunnan region. The accident took place on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at around 6 am local time near in the Liangshui village, near the town of Tangfang in Zhenxiong County. The news of the landslide was reported by multiple news outlets including the state news agency, Xinhua, and AP News.
Several people had to be evacuated and at the time of writing eight people had reportedly lost their lives as a result of the accident. Additionally, dozens of people were still unaccounted for.
Hundreds evacuated with rescue missions continuing to help buried landslide victims
Zhenxiong County Publicity Department initially reported that 14 people with at least 47 people were missing. Later, it was reported that eight people had been found dead.
President Xi Jinping has commanded an "all-out" rescue effort in the region because of the below-freezing weather. According to authorities, rescuers were looking for victims buried under the houses.
A video of the incident showed men in orange jumpsuits and hard hats sifting through heaps of twisted steel and concrete blocks. Social media users were able to watch the videos of rescuers trudging on top of the ruins with the show-covered mountains in the background.
The county press department stated that rescue operations were in progress to locate and help the victims. The report added that the reason behind the landslide couldn't be ascertained immediately due to the frigid temperatures and snowfall that is expected to last for at least the next three days. Pictures from the site of the incident also seemed to show snow on the ground.
Sources like Al Jazeera noted that such incidents are common in isolated and mountainous areas and might be the reason behind the recent landslide. The publication also added that nearly 1000 personnel were sent to the scene which saw more than 500 people evacuate their homes. Zhang Guoqing, the vice premier of China, supposedly headed a team on the scene to direct the rescue efforts.
The BBC, which quoted a local media source, reported that the majority of the villagers were either very young or very old people. A local told Jimu News that the village residents had been asleep when the incident occurred. The same source stated that it was incredibly loud noting that they also felt a shake like a "big earthquake."
NBC News reported that a local, Luo Dongmei was affected by the landslide and was asleep when it took place. However, after she managed to make it out alive, she was moved to a school building by local authorities.
“I was asleep, but my brother knocked on the door and woke me up. They said there was a landslide and the bed was shaking, so they rushed upstairs and woke us up,” Luo told NBC News.
Luo, her husband, and their three children, along with other survivors of the landslide were given meals at the school. However, they still needed blankets and other forms of protection from the cold, Luo said.
She claimed that she was unable to get in touch with her sister and aunt, noting that all she could do was wait.
In recent months, China has witnessed a number of natural calamities. Over 1,000 people were stranded in a remote skiing area in northwest China for a week due to avalanches caused by severe snowfall. However, last Thursday, rescuers managed to evacuate the visitors.
The avalanches, in a Chinese town that borders Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan, in the Xinjiang area, shut down roads. This left locals and visitors stranded.
Additionally, the Yunnan landslide occurred only one month after China was rocked by the worst earthquake in recent times. It occurred in a remote area between the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai
At least 149 people were killed by the 6.2-magnitude earthquake on December 18, 2023. The earthquake also caused severe mudslides that submerged two Qinghai villages and reduced houses to rubble. Over 14,000 homes were destroyed leaving more than 1000 people injured.
