Several dead and missing after landslide in China

A landslide in southwestern China’s Sichuan province on Sunday killed at least 19 people, Chinese state media said.

An initial assessment given by the local government reported 14 dead and five missing, but the bodies of these missing were later found, according to official media.

“The death toll stood at 19 and search operations for the missing were halted,” said China’s state television, CCTV.

More than 180 people were sent to the scene to try to find any survivors, local authorities said.

Landslides are a frequent hazard in mountainous and rural parts of China, especially during the rainy season months.

Landslides have already occurred in Sichuan, notably in 2017 when a landslide completely engulfed a village and its sixty houses.