15 killed, 120 missing as landslide buries mountain village in China

Beijing, June 24

At least 15 people were killed and over 100 others remained missing after a mountain village was today buried under tonnes of rock following a massive landslide in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the worst such disaster in the country in recent times.

The early morning landslide, which came from a mountain in Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba, engulfed 62 homes and a hotel in Xinmo village in Maoxian County.

A side of a mountain collapsed following the landslide, blocking a 2 km section of a river and burying 1,600m of road.

The Maoxian government said on its Weibo social media account that 15 bodies were pulled from the rubble while 120 people remained missing.

State media had earlier reported that 141 people may have been buried but later the figure was revised.

The landslide was apparently triggered by a mild earthquake in the area, an expert told state-run CGTN.

According to reports, the village which was built in a valley surrounded by mountains experienced one more landslide after the initial one in the morning. Nearly 2,000 rescuers frantically scoured through the mud and rocks to find survivors.

It is the biggest landslide in this area since the Wenchuan earthquake that killed 87,000 people in 2008 in a town in Sichuan. A family of three was pulled out alive from the rubble, the Mao County government said on its official Weibo page. — PTI