At least two dead after landslides in south-west China
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BEIJING – Landslides in south-west China on Aug 3 destroyed homes and caused a highway bridge to collapse, killing at least two people and leaving around 17 others missing, the authorities said.
State broadcaster CCTV said “local mountain torrents and landslides” swept away part of Ridi village in Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province.
The disasters killed two people and left 12 missing, CCTV reported, adding that “the disaster situation is undergoing further verification”.
In a separate statement, Garze’s local government said “a sudden mountain torrent and landslide” caused a highway tunnel bridge to collapse along the highway between Kangding city and Luding country.
As at 11am, officials had confirmed that at least three vehicles had plunged off the road, carrying six people. Of the six, “one person has been rescued and five are missing”, the government said in a social media post.
It added that “at present, multiple rescue forces have arrived at the scene to carry out their work”.
Garze lies in a mountainous area at the foothills of the Himalayas and has a large Tibetan population.
China has seen a string of natural disasters this summer, many linked to extreme weather.
State media reported on Aug 2 that the death toll from another highway bridge collapse in northern Shaanxi
In May, a highway in southern China collapsed after days of rain
China is the world’s largest emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists say drive climate change and make extreme weather more intense. AFP
