Gansu landslide kills 21, rescue operations end

A series of severe weather disasters across China has left dozens dead and forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands, with a deadly landslide in the northwest marking the latest tragedy. Rescue operations concluded on Wednesday, July 8, after a landslide struck a remote valley in Tanchang County, Gansu province, early Tuesday morning, resulting in 21 fatalities. The landslide buried 33 people, most of whom were local villagers working as temporary laborers at a state-run forestry farm. All trapped individuals have been accounted for, with twelve survivors rescued, seven of whom sustained minor injuries.

The landslide in Gansu, which covered approximately 5,400 square meters with debris up to 10 meters thick, occurred in a region known for its rugged, mountainous terrain that is particularly vulnerable to landslides and flash floods during the rainy season. Local officials warned that the deposited material remains unstable, posing a continued risk of secondary landslides.

This incident adds to a broader weather crisis affecting multiple regions. In the southern region of Guangxi, torrential rain from Typhoon Maysak, the country's first typhoon of the year, caused reservoirs...