China landslides leave six dead, nine missing
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A drone view shows construction machinery clearing a road to the mudslide-hit Mingkeng village after heavy rainfall associated with Typhoon Saudel.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Beijing – Landslides in eastern China have killed six people, with nine others still missing, state media said on Sept 8, days after heavy rains unleashed by Typhoon Saudel.
A mudslide which hit Mingkeng village in Jiangxi province on Sept 5 left five dead and seven missing, state news agency Xinhua said, citing local officials.
Another person was found dead and two others are still missing after landslides hit the nearby townships of Zuo’an and Tanghu.
The landslides followed days of torrential rains brought by Saudel, which first made landfall on China’s eastern coast at the end of August.
Several cities suspended work, schools and transport services in the face of the heavy rains.
The landslide in Mingkeng damaged homes and destabilised roads, according to Xinhua. More than 170 rescuers were deployed to the site to scour for those missing.
The landslides follow devastating glacial floods in the Himalayas in August that have killed 43 people in Tibet, according to state media, as well as nearly 1,300 people across the border in Nepal.
There are more than 5,000 missing in Nepal and another 519 missing on the Tibetan side of the border.
Scientists say climate change is accelerating glacial melting worldwide and making extreme storms more frequent worldwide, increasing the risk of such disasters. AFP
