China: Several killed, dozens missing as landslide strikes Yunnan province

At least seven people were murdered and 40 others went missing when a landslide struck southwest China’s hilly Yunnan province on Monday. At 5:51 a.m. Beijing time, the calamity rocked Zhaotong City’s Liangshui village, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Seven people were confirmed dead and 40 others remain missing in the landslide, the report said. The 47 victims are from 18 different households, rescue officials said. Over 500 residents were evacuated from the landslide-hit areas as the provincial commission for disaster reduction activated a Level-III emergency response for disaster relief, state-run CCTV reported. Official media claimed that efforts are underway to free those buried by the landslide. At the scene, 120 vehicles, including loaders, excavators, and transport vehicles, as well as 795 rescue personnel outfitted with one drone are performing search and rescue operations. To help in the hunt for the missing, up to 33 fire engines and ten loading cranes have been called into service. In addition, there have been 14 sets of emergency lighting equipment, 400 quilts, 200 cotton coats, and more than 100 tents. In order to find and save the victims who went missing in the landslide, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued an order. In response to the wave of cold weather that swept across southern China just three weeks before the Lunar New Year, Xi, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged party cadres to keep an eye out for other natural disaster risks and hidden dangers “to effectively ensure the safety of people’s lives and property”. In addition, Chinese Premier Li Qiang issued an order for a full-scale rescue operation in Liangshui and emphasized the importance of preserving social order given the region’s high elevation and ethnic diversity. “It is necessary to promptly evacuate the threatened population, handle resettlement properly, effectively ensure the safety of people’s lives and property, and maintain overall social stability,” Li was quoted as saying by the official media. It was not immediately clear what caused the landslide. Tuesday is likely to bring moderate snowfall to the town, with a low of -3 degrees Celsius predicted per the local weather prediction. (With agency inputs)