Around 40 homes buried as mountainside collapses in Maoxian County, Sichuan province after rain triggers landslide.
More than 100 people are feared buried after rain triggered a landslide in south-western China, state media reported on Saturday.
Around 40 homes were buried in Maoxian County in Sichuan province, the Xinhua news agency reported.
The landslide hit the village of Xinmo at around 6 am (2200 GMT Friday), according to Xinhua.
Homes in the village of Xinmo were swallowed by the cascading debris after the side of a mountain collapsed, blocking a two kilometre stretch of river, said Xinhua – citing local officials.
An emergency response “to the first class catastrophic geological disaster” is under way, the statement said, adding that the full extent of the landslide was at yet unclear.
China has been experiencing weeks of heavy summer rains that often cause flooding and trigger landslides in rural and mountainous regions.
At least 12 people were killed in January when a landslide smashed into a hotel in central Hubei province.
In October landslides battered eastern China in the wake of torrential rains brought by Typhoon Megi, causing widespread damage and killing at least eight.
Source: News agencies
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