Massive Landslide In China, 47 Buried and Over 200 Evacuated | Report

A remote and mountainous part of southwestern China was struck by a landslide on Monday, resulting in 47 people being buried, as reported by state media.

The incident occurred at 5:51 am (2151 GMT Sunday) in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan province, according to local authorities cited by state news agency Xinhua.

Landslide in China Kills 47

Approximately 18 households were buried, and more than 200 people were 'urgently evacuated' from the area, as reported by state broadcaster CCTV. An emergency response, involving over 200 rescue workers, as well as dozens of fire engines and other equipment, has been launched, reported AFP, citing CCTV.

Footage shared on social media depicted emergency workers in orange jumpsuits and helmets forming ranks outside a fire station while snowflakes whirled through the air. Other images showed rescuers picking through towering piles of collapsed masonry, in which a few personal belongings could be seen.

Authorities did not immediately specify whether anyone had died in the landslide. An image broadcasted by CCTV showed a firefighter working to pull a trapped villager from inside a home affected by the disaster. The local village head declined to speak about the landslide when contacted by phone, stating he was 'too busy.'

Landslides are common in Yunnan, a far-flung and often impoverished region of China where steep mountain ranges butt against the Himalayan plateau. Monday's disaster occurred in a rural area surrounded by towering peaks dusted with snow, as shown in state media footage.

Temperatures in Zhenxiong hovered at around minus four degrees Celsius (24.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday morning, according to weather data. There was no immediate official explanation for what may have caused the landslide. Efforts to establish what happened are underway, as reported by Xinhua.

China has experienced a string of natural disasters in recent months, some following extreme weather events such as sudden, heavy downpours. In September, rainstorms in the southern region of Guangxi triggered a mountain landslide that killed at least seven people, according to media reports.

Heavy rains sparked a similar disaster near the northern city of Xi'an in August, causing the deaths of more than 20 people. And in June, a landslide in southwestern Sichuan province -- also remote and mountainous -- killed 19 people."