New Delhi: More than 100 people have been buried alive in a massive landslide, according to state media.
Chinese media reports at least 40 homes in the village of Xinmo have also been destroyed by the natural disaster in the Maoxian County of China’s Sichuan Province.
In a statement, the Maoxian government said that the homes were swallowed by cascading debris after the side of the mountain collapsed, blocking a two kilometre stretch of river.
A report from the state news agency Xinhua also said that “part of a mountain” in the Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba had collapsed.
The incident was reportedly triggered by heavy rain around 6am local time.
An emergency response “to the first class catastrophic geological disaster” is under way with more than 400 rescuers and police on site.
Wang Yongbo, a local rescue official, told state broadcaster CCTV that an estimated 3 million cubic meters (105 million cubic feet) of earth and rock — equivalent to more than 1,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools — had slid down the mountain. Photos posted on the site showed an area buried by earth and massive rocks. Emergency responders helped a woman by the road.CCTV footage showed rescuers using a couple of earth movers but also relying on ropes to pull at large boulders.
The mountainous region — known for its ancient stone castles, dense forests, torrential streams and valleys — is located on the Minjiang River.
Landslides are a frequent danger in rural and mountainous parts of China, particularly at times of heavy rains.
At least 12 people were killed in January when a landslide smashed into a hotel in central Hubei province.
In October landslides battered eastern China in the wake of torrential rains brought by Typhoon Megi, causing widespread damage and killing at least eight.
Chinese inhabitants were first recorded in the area during the Shang Dynasty in 1600-1046BC.
Today it has a population of more than 109,000 people, mostly of the Qiang ethnic minority.
