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Rescue teams raced against time on Tuesday after a landslide buried dozens of people in northwestern China, leaving at least 16 people still trapped in the mountainous Gansu Province, state media reported.
The landslide struck earlier in the day, trapping 33 people. State broadcaster China Central Television said 17 people had been rescued, while emergency workers continued searching for those still buried under tons of earth and debris.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to make every effort to rescue the trapped victims and minimise casualties.
The cause of the landslide has not yet been determined, although the disaster came amid a spell of severe weather affecting large parts of the country.
In a separate incident, at least eight people were killed and more than 275 injured after powerful thunderstorms swept through central Hubei Province on Monday night. One person remained missing, according to Xinhua News Agency.
The storms lashed the cities of Huangshi, Huanggang, Ezhou and Xianning, with wind speeds reaching 149 kilometres per hour, causing widespread damage.
China’s National Meteorological Centre has warned of more torrential rain over the next 24 hours across parts of Guangxi, Jiangsu and Shandong, where rainfall could reach 260 millimetres. Authorities warned that the downpours could trigger further landslides, flash floods and other weather-related disasters, while parts of northeastern and southern China also face the risk of tornadoes.
Meanwhile, China is closely monitoring Typhoon Bavi, which is intensifying over the Pacific Ocean as it moves toward Taiwan. The United States National Weather Service said the powerful storm was carrying sustained winds of up to 290 km/h (180 mph) as it passed near Guam, Tinian, Saipan and Rota, prompting heightened alerts across the western Pacific.
