Landslide buried 17 people in China

Seventeen people in southwestern China were buried in a landslide, while heavy rain followed flash floods that also destroyed many houses and bridges in the area.

>>>Heavy storms caused heavy damage in China

The landslide occurred on July 10 in Zhongxing, Sichuan Province. An official from the town said, so far, they only know that 11 families have been buried in the landslide and more than 200 people have been evacuated. Rescue workers are still looking for survivors.

The floodwaters swirled in Bac Xuyen, Sichuan on July 9.(Photo: AFP)

Chinese Central Television CCTV said on the station's website that 17 people were killed. Firefighters Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, earlier announced that this number was about 30 to 40 people.

Heavy rains have ravaged many parts of China in recent days, including Sichuan province, which suffered the most damage, with three bridges collapsed in major floods since July 8.

More than 2,700 rescue workers were deployed to find 12 missing people after a bridge in Giang Du city collapsed on July 9. Heavy rains also destroyed 300 houses in Sichuan and neighboring Yunnan province, causing 36,800 people to flee.

The mountainous region in southwest China is a place where frequent landslides and earthquakes occur. In January, 46 people, including many children, were killed in a landslide in Yunnan province. More than 1,000 rescue workers attempted overnight, under freezing temperatures, to search for survivors.

The most terrible disaster in China in the last three decades is the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, killing 87,000 people. Poor quality constructions are believed to be the reason for the high death toll.