At Least 42 Killed In Southwestern China Landslide

At least 42 killed in southwestern China landslide < br />

2013-01-13 07:33:50 GMT+7 (ICT)

KUNMING, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 42 people were confirmed killed after a landslide struck a small village in southwestern China, government officials said Friday.

The landslide occurred at around 8:20 a.m. local time in the village of Gaopo in Zhenxiong County, located in China's Yunnan Province, which is around 550 kilometers northeast of the provincial capital, Kunming.

Local government officials said the landslide buried a number of homes belonging to at least sixteen families, and as of Friday evening, at least 42 people had been confirmed dead, state-run media Xinhua news agency reported.

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping, said further efforts must be carried out to resettle the affected residents in order to prevent further disasters and conduct relief work. Xi and other leaders also ordered complete rescue operation immediately.

However, operations were made difficult as the landslide covered the area with thick watery mud, in addition to the low temperatures. Teams totaling to around 1,000 rescuers arrived at the scene, but more were on the way.

Natural disasters have not been uncommon in the region. Last October, Yiliang County, which is next to Zhenxiong County, suffered another landslide that killed at least 18 elementary school students and one other. And in September, also in Yiliang, a 5.7-magnitude earthquke killed at least 81.

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