Huge landslide in western China buries dozens

BEIJING — Flooding in western China, the worst in 50 years for some areas, has triggered a landslide that buried up to 40 people and destroyed a high-profile memorial to a devastating 2008 earthquake.

The landslide in Zhongxing, in the south-western province of Sichuan, was triggered by heavy rain, according to the fire brigade.

There was no immediate word on the chances of survival for the 30 to 40 people buried, but rescue workers with search dogs had rushed to the area, said the official Xinhua news agency.

Footage from Chinese state media showed the dramatic rescue of a Deyang factory worker, who was stranded by the floods after the factory was washed away.

“The water level is so high that vehicles, forklifts and excavators have all been washed away,” Mr Wei Xiao, another factory worker, told Reuters.

In nearby Beichuan county, flooding has destroyed buildings and exhibits at a memorial for the earthquake five years ago in Sichuan that left 90,000 people dead or missing.

The quake has left the county unliveable. The town was abandoned and 27 sq km of ruins were turned into a memorial and museum.

The flooding also caused the collapse of an almost 50-year-old bridge in the city of Jiangyou in Sichuan, sending six vehicles into the raging waters and leaving 12 people missing. Three people were pulled from the river on Tuesday.

The two-lane bridge was completed in 1969, according to Xinhua, and a replacement span is under construction. China has been pouring resources into building infrastructure, but many older bridges and dams are of poor quality and urgently need repairs or replacement.

China’s Civil Affairs Ministry announced on Tuesday that flooding in Sichuan since Sunday has affected an area that is home to 360,000 people, damaging or destroying 300 homes and forcing at least 6,100 emergency evacuations.

Landslides and flooding are common in China’s mountainous areas, killing hundreds of people every year. Deforestation has led to soil erosion and made some parts of China prone to landslides after strong rains.

A massive landslide in April engulfed a gold mining area in mountainous Tibet, burying 83 workers believed to have been asleep. In January, a landslide covered 14 homes in Zhenxiong county in Yunnan province, burying 46 people, including 19 children.

In 2011, over five million people were reported to be affected by deadly floods in eastern China. Agencies