Landslide in southern China kills 7

Landslide in southern China kills 7

2012-03-08 07:17:52 GMT+7 (ICT)

GUANGZHOU, China (BNO NEWS) -- Seven people have been killed after a rain-triggered landslide in southern China, county officials told state-run media on Wednesday. One person was rescued alive after several hours.

The incident happened at around 7:35 p.m. local time on Tuesday when a landslide struck a farm in the village of Likeng in Qingxin County, which is located in southern China's Guangdong province. Eight people who were at the farm were buried by the landslide.

A county spokesman told the state-run Xinhua news agency that the rescue operation lasted about ten hours, but only one adult could be found alive. The seven fatalities were identified as five adults and two children, although their ages were not immediately released.

Also on Wednesday, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) and the National Disaster Reduction Committee (NDRC) announced that natural disasters affected a total of 15.17 million people in February alone, with a death toll of at least seven people. The month's economic losses mounted to 4.55 billion yuan ("719.9 million), while 9,000 people were displaced.

Landslides occur regularly in China. In September 2011, a total of 32 people were killed when a rain-triggered landslide buried two small factories in Shaanxi Province, which is located in the country's northwest. Five people were also injured.

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