6 dead, 23 missing in China landslides
BEIJING — Six people are reported dead and at least 23 people are still missing after two landslides triggered by a major typhoon swept through separate villages in southeastern China, state media reported.
The landslides Wednesday in Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai, are confirmed to have each killed three people, while rescue crews and sniffer dogs continued to search for survivors yesterday.
Authorities in the village of Sucun said late Thursday that more than 20 people are still missing. Video published by the official Xinhua News Agency showed fast flood waters carrying rocks and debris rushing down a mountain and into the hamlet.
“I heard a loud noise and rushed outside,” one villager, Zheng Quanwei, told Xinhua. “It was getting dark, but I could see some collapsed houses on the hillside.”
The official China Daily newspaper said the landslide hit Sucun at about 5:30 p.m. as villagers were sitting down to supper. Some rushed to help trapped neighbors while others hiked up the mountain seeking safety on higher, more solid ground.
About 20 homes were buried by the landslide, and more than 1,400 village residents had to be relocated. Crews remain at work in Sucun and at the site of a separate landslide in Wencheng county, Xinhua reported.
Typhoon Megi brought torrential rain and strong winds into parts of southeastern China and Taiwan, destroying hundreds of houses and shutting down airports and railways. Five people died in falls and other accidents as the storm passed.