World

Fatal landslide in Sichuan

05:52 am on 11 July 2013

A landslide has buried between 30 - 40 people in Sichuan province in China following heavy rain.

Xinhua news agency reports rescue workers with search dogs are at the scene.

On Tuesday a bridge collapsed in the nearby city of Jiangyou, leaving at least 12 people missing.

Days of heavy rain and floods have damaged hundreds of houses and forced the evacuation of more than 36,000 people in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.

The BBC reports mud and landslides caused by flooding and strong rains are common in mountainous areas of China, where deforestation has also made soil erosion much more of a problem.

The landslide occurred in the town of Zhongxing - one of the places badly hit by the Sichuan earthquake in 2008.

Xinhua reported the landslide covered about 2 sq km. At least 11 houses were damaged.

The BBC reports more heavy rain is forecast for another 24 hours.