Rescue operations continue in the mountains of southwestern China after the pre-dawn disaster.
At least 47 people have been buried in a landslide in southwestern China’s mountainous Yunnan province, and rescue efforts are underway.
State news agency Xinhua reported that the disaster occurred just before 6 a.m. (22:00 GMT on Sunday) in Liangshui village, located in the basement of Tangfang city, Zhenxiong county.
Officials said rescue teams were searching for victims buried in 18 separate homes. Xinhua News Agency showed footage of men in orange jumpsuits and helmets weaving their way through piles of concrete blocks and twisted steel. Snow had piled up on some of the rubble and on buildings that were still standing.
The cause of the landslide was not immediately known.
Officials said about 500 people were evacuated.
Landslides occur frequently in China’s remote Yunnan province, where steep mountains rise above the Himalayan plateau.
China has experienced a series of natural disasters in recent months, with Yunnan province one of several provinces in southern China currently experiencing cold waves and severe near- or sub-zero temperatures.
The landslide occurred just over a month after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck in the northwest between Gansu and Qinghai provinces, killing at least 149 people and causing massive landslides.
Nearly 1,000 people were injured and more than 14,000 homes were destroyed.
It was the deadliest earthquake in China in nine years.