47 people from 18 families buried after landslide strikes SW China’s Yunnan

A screenshot from CCTV showing rescue efforts underway

A total of 47 people from 18 families were buried following a deadly landslide in villages in Zhaotong, southwest China’s Yunnan Province on Monday based on a preliminary investigation, according to China Central Television. Rescue efforts remain underway.

At around 6 am, a sudden landslide struck Liangshui village, Zhaotong, Yunnan Province. Preliminary investigations concluded that several houses in the lower area between the two mountains in Hexing and Heping villager groups were buried, Yunnan authorities said on Monday.

The area experienced heavy snowfall on Sunday night. Although the snowfall has decreased it has yet to stop, with the highest temperature hovering around 0 C. The two villager groups affected by the landslide have scattered houses built along the mountainside to the foot of the mountain, with a large difference in altitude and steep slopes. More rescue teams are being deployed to the scene, according to the CCTV report.

Currently, more than 200 residents have been urgently evacuated. A total of 10 loaders and 33 fire trucks have been mobilized, with more than 200 rescue personnel being dispatched to carry out search and rescue work.

An employee from the local emergency management office said that the rescue efforts are underway, but heavy snowfall has caused the roads to become icy, increasing the rescue operation difficulty, Jiupai News reported.

Local officials are coordinating efforts and made specific arrangements for tasks including casualty investigation, search and rescue of trapped individuals, relocation of the affected population, and prevention of secondary disasters. Wang Yubo, governor of Yunnan, has led an emergency working group to the scene to guide rescue efforts.

Relevant departments have quickly activated emergency plans and organized emergency, firefighting, health, and natural resources departments to rush to the scene for rescue operations, according to the authorities.

A villager from Liangshui said that their homes are just a few minutes away from the landslide’s impact zone. The villagers who managed to escape are gathered on the roadside, while villagers from other areas have travelled to the area to help, including boiling water to provide warmth, according to Jimu New on Monday.

“We were all asleep at that time, in the early morning when it was still dark. Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and the ground shook. It felt like a major earthquake,” the villager told Jimu News.