Death toll in southwest China landslide rises to 10

BEIJING: The death toll from a landslide in southwest China this month has risen to 10, with 19 more still missing, local authorities said on Monday.

Heavy rain triggered the disaster in the city of Yibin, Sichuan province, on February 8, according to state media.

A further two people were injured, 10 homes were buried and 100 hectares of cropland were damaged, authorities in the county where the landslide occurred said.

The statement added that 767 people had been evacuated from the site as officials worked to “restore the order of normal life to affected groups”.

Initial reports had said at least one person had died and nearly 30 more were missing.

Video footage by state broadcaster CCTV at the time of the landslide showed rescuers with torches searching through debris in the dark.

Citing local authorities, CCTV said a preliminary study showed the disaster “occurred due to the influence of recent prolonged rainfall”.

China has been hit with extreme weather in recent months, with dozens of people killed in floods last year, its warmest on record.

Scientists say climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent.