8 dead in China as landslide buries mountain village
- More than a dozen homes were in the disaster’s path as it struck on Monday morning, state media report
- Relief operation is under way in freezing conditions after a night of heavy snow in the area
The death toll from a massive mountain landslide in southwest China stood at eight on Monday as emergency workers combed through the remains of a buried village in freezing temperatures.
Dozens of villagers from Liangshui in Zhenxiong county, Yunnan province, were trapped when their homes were engulfed by the landslide at 5.51am.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that 18 homes were in the disaster’s path, 47 were missing and more than 500 people had been evacuated from the village.
More than 300 rescue personnel and over 50 emergency units, including fire trucks and loaders, were deploy to locate the missing.
Some of the houses in the coal mining community were on the steep terrain, while others were located at the foot of the mountain.
Heavy snow fell in the area on Sunday night, with continued falls on Monday, CCTV reported. Temperatures were expected to remain at around freezing, it said.
