Rain-triggered landslide in northwest China kills 10

Rain-triggered landslide in northwest China kills 10

2011-09-19 11:54:11 GMT+7 (ICT)

BEIJING (BNO NEWS) -- At least 10 people were killed and 22 others are missing after a landslide triggered by heavy rains buried two small factories in northwest China, officials said on Monday.

Heavy rains on Saturday unleashed large amounts of rock and mud down a mountain, engulfing a brick factory and destroying part of a nearby ceramics factory in a suburb of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province.

Zhu Zhisheng, vice mayor of the provincial capital city of Xi'an, said rescuers have retrieved 10 bodies as of Sunday afternoon, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. He said at least five people were injured during the landslide and have been hospitalized in a stabel condition.

More than 700 police, firefighters, and local residents have joined the rescue operation. However, three follow-up slides have hampered the rescue efforts.

According to the news report, heavy rainfall also triggered a landslide which buried a residential house in the suburban district of Jintai in Baoji City, some 175 kilometers (108 miles) west of Xi'an. Two people died after they were rushed to a nearby hospital.

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