15 dead in landslide that crushed over 60 houses, buried 120+ people in China (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
At least 15 people have been confirmed dead as massive search efforts continue in China’s Sichuan Province in the wake of a landslide that destroyed dozens of houses and reportedly left more than 120 people buried beneath the rubble.
Torrential rain in Maoxian County triggered a large landslide that destroyed around 62 homes in Xinmo Village, Xinhua reported, citing the provincial government.
#Latest on Maoxian #landslide in SW China:
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) June 24, 2017
-5 bodies found
-Over 120 missing
-Over 1,000 deployed for search & rescue operations pic.twitter.com/kIWZk1EBdh
At least 141 people are feared to be trapped under the dirt and debris. Rescue teams had retrieved 15 bodies from the wreckage as of 10:00pm local time (14:00 GMT), Xinhua reported, citing the rescue services.
Three survivors were found alive five hours after the landslide struck, Xinhua said, adding that none of them had suffered life-threatening injuries.
The disaster happened in the Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and struck at around 6:00am local time.
“We heard a strange noise at the back of our house, and it was rather loud,” Qiao Dashuai, a local resident, told CCTV, as cited by AP.
“Wind was coming into the room so I wanted to close the door. When we came out, water flow swept us away instantly,” Qiao said.
#BREAKING Over 100 people feared buried in rain-triggered landslide in Maoxian County, SW China; Rescue operation underway pic.twitter.com/p60ijkecaV
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) June 24, 2017
Some 400 rescuers, including police, have been dispatched to the site, Tang Limin, a spokesperson for Sichuan’s provincial government, told Xinhua. The number of rescuers later grew to 1,000.
#Latest on Maoxian #landslide in SW China:
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) June 24, 2017
-141 buried
-Three escape mountain of debris
-1,600m stretch of road blocked pic.twitter.com/cHZrI5gFLe
Some three million cubic meters of earth and rock slid down the mountain, Wang Yongbo, a local rescue official, told CCTV broadcaster.
“It’s the biggest landslide to hit this area since the Wenchuan earthquake,” Wang Yongbo said, referring to the powerful 7.9 earthquake that struck the province in May 2008, killing some 90,000 people.
【四川疊溪發生山體垮塌 40余戶100餘人被掩埋】6月24日6時左右,茂縣疊溪鎮新磨村突發山體高位垮塌,垮塌方量無法估算,河道堵塞2公里,40余戶100餘人被掩埋。茂縣縣委、縣政府緊急啟動Ⅰ級特大型地質災害險情和災情應急回應,已組織力量趕赴現場救援。 pic.twitter.com/UmnvAErCVb
— 中国新闻社 (@CNS1952) June 24, 2017
Authorities mobilized manpower and deployed resources, including excavation equipment, to save the trapped villagers.
The landslide has also blocked about a two-kilometer section of a local river course.