One dead, 28 missing in Sichuan

At least one person died and 28 remain disappeared after a landslide in southwestern China, according to Chinese state media.

The landslide struck the village of Jipin in the province of Sichuan at 11:50 on Saturday (03:50 GMT), buried 10 houses and caught several residents. Two people were rescued.

At the scene, a command center was created according to a statement from the County’s Emergency Situations Bureau.

China’s President Jinping has ordered a rescue of “entirely” to those who are trapped.

State media images show a huge collapse of mud and a rock from a steep mountain end, cutting what it seems is a small village.

Hundreds of emergency workers are looking for survivors, according to a statement from the Ministry of Emergency Situations in China. About 200 people have been evacuated.

The president ordered the authorities to do “everything possible for the search and rescue of missing people, minimizing victims and to properly deal with the consequences,” according to the official State Agency of Xinhua.

Chinese Prime Minister Li Kiang further demanded an investigation into potential geological risk in nearby areas.

According to local media reports, the peasants say large rocks have often been seen rolling down the mountain over the last six months.

Li also said that residents who were threatened should be evacuated to prevent another disaster, AP News reports, citing Xinhua.

Fifty million yuan ($ 6.9 million; 5.5 million British pounds) are allocated by the central government’s funds for infrastructure and public services, AP added.

The remote, mountainous parts of the southwest of China can be prone to landslides.

In January 2024, A landslide in the Chinese province of Yunnan killed dozens of people When a steep rock collapsed and destroyed part of the village.

At least 18 people were killed in a separate landslide in the same region 11 years earlier.