A landslide in China’s Yunnan province early Monday (Jan 22) buried 47 people and forced the evacuation of 200 others. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press, the landslide occurred at around 6 am in the village of Liangshui, under Tangfang in Zhenxiong County.
The county publicity department said that rescue efforts were underway to find victims buried in 18 separate houses.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries so far. The report said the cause of the landslide was not immediately known, however, photos from the scene appeared to show snow on the ground. A report by Al Jazeera, meanwhile, said that 500 people had been evacuated.
China has experienced a string of natural disasters in recent months. This landslide in Yunnan came just a month after China experienced its most powerful earthquake in years struct to the northwest in a remote region between Gansu and Qinghai provinces.
The earthquake, which was of 6.2 magnitude, killed at least 149 people on Dec 18, reducing homes to rubble and triggering heavy mudslides that inundated two villages in Qinghai.
Nearly 1,000 were injured and more than 14,000 homes were destroyed.
(With inputs from agencies)
