1 of 1 Landslide in southwest China buries at least 47 people Photo: CCTV via AP Landslide in southwest China buries at least 47 people Photo: CCTV via AP
At least 47 people were buried in a landslide in the mountainous Yunnan province of southwest China on Monday morning (22).
Around 200 people had to leave their homes in freezing temperatures and snowfall.
The disaster occurred just before 6 a.m. in Liangshui village near Tangfang town in Zhenxiong county. Local authorities said rescue efforts were underway to find the victims buried in 18 different houses.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. The cause of the slide is not yet known, but photos from the scene show plenty of snow on the ground.
Luo Dongmei, 35, was sleeping when the landslide occurred but survived and was taken to a school by local authorities.
“I was sleeping but my brother knocked on the door and woke me up. They said there was a landslide and the bed was shaking, so they ran upstairs and woke us up,” Luo said.
The landslide occurred just over a month after the earthquake struck in the northwest, in a remote region between Gansu and Qinghai province. At least 149 people died in the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on December 18.
Nearly 1,000 people were injured and more than 14,000 homes were destroyed in what is believed to be China's worst earthquake in nine years.