Sichuan, a landslide destroys a village: 141 missing

So far two people pulled alive and one body retrieved. The disaster caused by heavy rains and lack of vegetation.

Chengdu (AsiaNews / Agencies) - At least 141 people are considered missing and over 46 homes were destroyed due to a landslide that hit Xinmo Village in Mao County. At 6 am local time, one side of the mountain collapsed and hit the village, blocking the course of a downstream river for at least two kilometers.

Emergency teams with bulldozers, doctors and nurses are at work and by noon had already recovered some people still living and a corpse.

President Xi Jinping issued a warning asking the emergency teams to save as many lives as possible.

The village is located in the mountainous area of ​​Sichuan, north of Chengdu capital. The place is a tourist destination and it is not excluded that there are also tourists among the possible victims.

National television reports that since many students have returned to their homes, there may be between 100 and 200 people in the village when the landslide occurred.

Over the past few weeks there have been abundant rains in the region, which have facilitated the formation of landslides. The situation is even more serious because there is no vegetation in the area.

Local media say rain is still forecast in the coming days, which could hamper the rescuers.

Mao County is close to Wenchuan, the epicenter of a major earthquake in 2008, which killed more than 80,000 people.

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• landslide
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