A landslide in southwestern China’s mountainous Yunnan province has buried at least 47 people and resulted in the forced evacuation of 500 more.
The disaster, which took place on early Monday just before 6 am local time (20:00 GMT Sunday), struck in the village of Liangshui, beneath the town of Tangfang in Zhenxiong County, according to Xinhua news agency.
The county information department said rescue efforts were underway to find victims buried in 18 separate houses.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. The landslide also forced the evacuation of 500 more people from the village.
The cause of the landslide wasn’t immediately known.
The weather in Yunnan is reported to be relatively cold with temperatures around 7 degrees centigrade. During the evening and nighttime, the temperatures will drop to near or below zero.
Xinhua showed footage of men in orange jumpsuits and hard hats picking their way through piles of concrete blocks and twisted steel. There was snow on some of the rubble and on buildings that were still standing.
Last month, a massive earthquake hit China’s northwestern provinces of Gansu and Qinghai.
According to official figures, the 6.2-magnitude earthquake killed at least 149 people. The quake, china’s deadliest in nine years, also triggered heavy mudslides.
Nearly 1,000 people were injured and more than 14,000 homes were destroyed.
In 2014, a deadly earthquake quake in Yunnan killed more than 600 people.
In 2008, a massive earthquake in Sichuan province left more than 87,000 people dead or missing, including 5,335 school children.
