Fourteen killed, five missing in China's Sichuan landslide
1 Min Read
A landslide hits southwestern China's Sichuan province on Sunday " high on a mountain" at 6 am.
-
Rescue workers frantically searching for survivors feared buried beneath rocks in Sichuan, June 2017 (Reuters)
Fourteen people died and five others are still missing due to a landslide in southwestern China's Sichuan province on Sunday, the local government said.
It "took place high on a mountain" at 6 am (2200 GMT) at a state-owned forestry station in Jinkouhe, near the city of Leshan, the government stated online.
"As of 3:30 pm, the remains of 14 victims have been recovered, while five people remain missing," it added.
Authorities sent more than 180 people and a dozen pieces of rescue and recovery tools to the site, according to the statement.
It is worth noting that Leshan was struck by heavy rain during the past two days before the incident, according to weather tracking data.
"Currently, search and rescue work is urgently underway," Chinese state media outlet CCTV reported.
The location is 240 kilometers (150 miles) away from Chengdu, the provincial capital, in a mountainous area.
The area is vulnerable to natural calamities like landslides and earthquakes since it is remote and heavily forested.
Read: Italy declares state of emergency after deadly landslide
