Forty-seven people were buried when a landslide struck a remote and mountainous part of Southwestern China on Monday, state media reported.
The pre-dawn landslide hit in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan province, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing local authorities.
State broadcaster CCTV said around 18 households were buried, and that more than 200 people were “urgently evacuated” from the area.
Authorities have launched an emergency response involving over 200 rescue workers as well as dozens of fire engines and other equipment, according to CCTV. The cause of the landslide was not immediately known.
Landslides are common in Yunnan, a remote region of China where steep mountain ranges rise up into the Himalayan Plateau.
China has experienced a string of natural disasters in recent months and Yunnan is among several provinces in the country’s southern region currently experiencing a cold wave and bitter temperatures near or below freezing.
The landslide comes just more than a month after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Northwest between the Gansu and Qinghai provinces, killing at least 149 people and triggering heavy mudslides.
Nearly 1,000 people were injured, more than 14,000 homes were destroyed.
