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Rescue teams dressed in orange search for survivors of a landslide.
CNN
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Rescuers recovered eight bodies from a landslide in southwestern China on Monday that buried dozens more, state media said.
“Rescue teams found eight missing people, all with no signs of life,” state media CCTV reported. According to CCTV, a total of 47 people were missing in the landslide, with 39 still missing.
A landslide occurred just before dawn in the mountain village of Liangshui, Yunnan province, when most residents were asleep. A total of 18 homes were filled and more than 500 people were evacuated, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
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Chinese military personnel search for survivors among the rubble.
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The landslide can be seen in a screenshot of a social media video from January 22, 2024.
Drone footage from the disaster site, carried by local state media, showed wide slopes with black mud covering snow-covered mountain terraces and village roofs.
More than 300 rescue workers were called out, along with dozens of fire engines and civil engineering equipment, CCTV showed.
Surveillance camera footage shows firefighters in orange jumpsuits climbing through the gray rubble of destroyed homes to find survivors, against a backdrop of rugged mountain ridges covered in powdery snow. He was seen searching for the.
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At least 47 people are believed to be missing in the landslide.
A man was pulled from the rubble shortly after 11 a.m. local time, state news agency Xinhua reported.
The region was hit by heavy snow on Sunday night, and although the amount of snowfall has since decreased, temperatures remained below freezing on Monday, CCTV said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called on local authorities to quickly step up rescue operations in a statement carried by CCTV.
According to CCTV, President Xi also called on authorities across China to be on high alert to avoid serious accidents as Lunar New Year celebrations approach.
Yunnan’s remote mountains are prone to landslides due to their steep slopes and unstable soil.
Many areas of southern China, including Yunnan province, are in the midst of a cold wave, with temperatures near or below freezing, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
This story has been updated with further developments.