More than 40 people buried by landslides in China Why China, of all places, will solve the climate problem

More than 40 people have been buried in a landslide in China’s southwestern Yunnan province. According to Chinese state media, authorities believed that 47 people were missing, according to initial findings. Two people were rescued dead from the rubble on Monday afternoon (local time), Chinese state television reported. The earth masses reached the village of Liangshui in the north of the province, where a few thousand people live, early in the morning. According to state news agency Xinhua, authorities have evacuated more than 200 people from the area. It was initially unclear how many people died in the accident.

State television showed images of a path torn through the mountainside by the avalanche and images of rescuers searching the rubble for people. Around noon, the station reported that helpers had found a survivor. One of the reporters said by telephone that the accident occurred while it was still dark. The buried houses are all built on a steep slope.

According to reports, civil protection and fire brigades arrived with dozens of vehicles and hundreds of helpers. According to the People’s Daily, soldiers were also sent to the area in Zhenxiong province, which borders Sichuan and Guizhou provinces in northeastern Yunnan. It was initially unclear how the landslide occurred. On Monday, the temperature at the accident site was around freezing. It had snowed the night before.

Xinhua reported that the local government has initiated further relief measures. According to the party spokesman, Chinese state and party leader Xi Jinping called from Beijing to quickly organize rescue workers and do everything they can to help the missing people. He also called for strengthening early warning to prevent further disasters. (sda/dpa)