Deadly landslide in SW China

Eighteen people have been confirmed dead, two others injured and dozens more remain buried after a landslide hit a mountainous region in Southwest China's Yunnan province on Friday, local authorities said.

As of 2 pm, rescuers had pulled 18 bodies from the mud-inundated debris in Gaopo Village, Zhenxiong County, some 550 km northeast of Yunnan's capital city of Kunming, according to the county's publicity department.

The landslide hit the village around 8:20 am, burying the homes of 16 families, a local government official surnamed Wang told Xinhua. [More]

The death toll in a landslide that hit a mountainous region in Southwest China's Yunnan province on Friday has risen to 44, after more bodies have been retrieved.

Chinese leaders Xi Jinping, Wen Jiabao and Li Keqianghave ordered all-out efforts to rescue victims of the landslide in order to minimize casualties from the disaster.

Xi, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said efforts must be made to resettle affected residents, prevent secondary disasters and successfully complete relief work and reconstruction so as to ensure stability. [More]

The death toll from a landslide that hit a mountainous region in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday has risen to 42, after more bodies were retrieved.

Chinese leaders Xi Jinping, Wen Jiabao and Li Keqiang have ordered all-out efforts to rescue victims of the landslide in order to minimize casualties from the disaster.

Xi, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said efforts must be made to resettle affected residents, prevent secondary disasters and successfully complete relief work and reconstruction so as to ensure stability. [More] 

The death toll from a landslide which hit a village in southwest China's Yunnan Province has risen to 43 after one more body was retrieved, said a local official early Saturday.

Liu Jianhua, mayor of Zhaotong City, said in the wee hours on Saturday, rescuers were still searching the three missing residents despite the snowy weather.

The landslide hit the Zhaojiagou area of Gaopo Village around 8:20 a.m. Friday. Forty-six residents -- 27 adults and 19 children -- were buried in the rock and mud debris. [More]

At least 42 people have been confirmed dead with another four still missing after a massive landside engulfed a village in Southwest China's Yunnan province on Friday morning.

The disaster struck Gaopo at around 8 am.

The village is in the city of Zhaotong, Zhenxiong county, about 550 kilometers from the provincial capital of Kunming.

Top leaders Xi Jinping, Wen Jiabao and Li Keqiang immediately ordered every resource possible to be mobilized to help with the rescue of victims. [More]

By noon on Saturday rescuers had found the bodies of all 46 people who died when they were buried in a landslide that hit a mountainous village in Yunnan province on Friday morning.

The landslide struck Gaopo village in Zhenxiong county of Zhaotong, about 550 km northeast of the provincial capital, Kunming.

The 46 residents who died included 27 adults and 19 children. Two other people were injured and sent to a hospital for treatment, with no life-threatening conditions. [More]

Earthquakes that struck a county in Southwest China's Yunnan province last September were a contributing factor in a Friday landslide that killed 46 people, an expert said Saturday.

Jiang Xingwu, head of a group of geological disaster prevention experts under the provincial land and resources bureau, said at a press briefing that steep slopes, unstable soil and recent precipitation contributed to the landslide.

Jiang said earthquakes that jolted Yiliang county on Sept 7 of last year were also a factor. [More] 

Chinese Land and Resources Minister Xu Shaoshi urged on Saturday the strengthening of geological disaster prevention and treatment efforts after a landslide killed 46 people in Southwest China's Yunnan province.

"All regions, especially the Three Gorges Reservoir area and earthquake-hit areas or those prone to disasters, should tighten geological disaster prevention and treatment efforts all the time," Xu said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua. [More]

Plans are under way to move a village that was devastated on Friday by a landslide in Yunnan province, officials said on Sunday.

The plans went into effect on Saturday afternoon, just after rescue efforts came to a close, said Chen Xiangjin, deputy head of Zhenxiong county. 

Chen said the new village will take about six months to build and will be paid for with funds from the central government. [More]

About 40 family members of landslide victims in Southwest China's Yunnan province have protested after their loved ones' bodies were cremated without their approval.

The people gathered on the road to the landslide rescue and disaster relief headquarters in Zhenxiong county on Sunday night, blocking dozens of vehicles, Zhu Henghui, office director with the Zhenxiong County Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said early on Monday.

The crowd did not disperse until 2 am Monday, according to Zhu. [More]