Several people buried in South China's landslide, rescue op underway

A life threatening landslide swept the mountains of South China's Yunnan Province a month after one of the most devastating earthquake had struck China. According to updates, 47 people have been killed, while 500 have been evacuated. Rescue operations are underway.

Beijing:At least 47 people were buried in a landslide that struck southwest China's Yunnan province on Monday. The disaster happened in the Liangshui village of Zhaotong city at 5:51 am Beijing time, in the village of Liangshui, under the town of Tangfang in Zhenxiong County. The county publicity department said rescue efforts were underway to find victims buried in 18 separate houses.

Over 500 residents were evacuated from the landslide-hit areas as the provincial commission for disaster reduction activated a Level-III emergency response for disaster relief, state-run CCTV reported. More than 200 rescuers, along with 33 firefighting vehicles and 10 loading machines, were mobilised to search for the missing. The buried villagers were from 18 households, rescue officials said.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. The cause of the landslide was not immediately known. Local weather forecast said there will be light snow in the town on Tuesday, with the lowest temperature expected to reach -3 degrees Celsius, the report said. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. The cause of the landslide was not immediately known.

More information awaited.