Three killed, 11 missing in landslide in southwest China

Twelve workers were buried after the landslide with one rescued later, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Three coal miners were killed and 11 others went missing after a rain-triggered landslide hit a county in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality On Monday.

The landslide occurred when 27 employees with the Yongfa coal mine in Yunyang County, were moving to a safe location after torrential rains lashed the area.

Twelve workers were buried after the landslide with one rescued later, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

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Three workers were killed and 11 went missing in the landslide, officials said.

Up to 300 mm of rain drenched several townships in Yunyang, damaging 3,000 hectares of crops and forcing the evacuation of more than 5,000 people.

Rescue and relief work is under way in the affected areas. Heavy rains have hit many parts of Chongqing since yesterday morning.

Xianchi area of Yunyang County reported the highest precipitation of 287.5 mm in a day.

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Communication has been cut-off due to rains in 17 towns in Wuxi County, also in Chongqing, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Around 3,397 hectares of crops were affected and 66 km of roads were damaged in Wuxi, it said.

Heavy rainfall has been predicted in Chongqing tomorrow, which will dampen rescue efforts.

Meanwhile, at the site of another landslide that occurred five days ago in Guizhou Province, search operations have been wrapped up by rescuers, with bodies of all 23 victims rescued so far.

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The local government is investigating the cause of the disaster. Villagers have blamed local phosphorus mining for weakening the mountain’s structure.

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