Tragedy struck the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan on Monday morning as a landslide buried at least 47 people in Zhaotong city.
To reduce casualties, President Xi Jinping has called for extensive search and rescue efforts. The incident happened at 5:51 p.m. local time, and the 18 homes’ missing members belonged to them.
Rescue personnel are working nonstop among the debris-covered landscape in subzero temps. Local television shows rescuers negotiating collapsed structures, while social media footage shows them on snow-covered hillside locations, searching through rubble where personal items have been left behind.
By 21:51 GMT, over 500 people were evacuated from the affected region. While one man has been successfully rescued, the fate of others remains uncertain. A resident from Liangshui village described the landslide occurring during sleep, likening it to a loud earthquake with intense shaking.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the landslide, and weather forecasts predict light snow in the coming days. This remote region, surrounded by mountains, frequently faces the threat of floods and landslides. In January 2013, Zhenxiong, located in Zhaotong city, witnessed another tragic incident where at least 18 people lost their lives due to a landslide.
President Xi Jinping’s urgent call for swift rescue efforts underscores the severity of the situation. As the rescue mission unfolds against the challenging backdrop of snow-covered terrain, the thoughts of many are with those affected by this devastating event. The community’s resilience is being tested once again in the face of nature’s unpredictable forces.