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Two people have died and 16 others are missing after a mudslide triggered by heavy rains occurred near the northern Chinese city of Xi’an, state media reported on Saturday.
China has faced deadly floods and historic rainfall in recent weeks, with the death toll from storms in the north of the country reaching at least 78 on Friday.
“Affected by short-term local heavy rains, at 6:00 p.m. on August 11 … there was a sudden mountain flash flood and landslide,” state broadcaster CCTV reported.
“Preliminary inspection showed that at present two houses in the village have been washed away and infrastructure including roads, bridges and power supply have been damaged,” the report said.
Four of those initially trapped by the mudslide have been rescued, CCTV added.
Chinese state media said emergency response and rescue efforts were continuing on Saturday morning with 16 people still missing.
The flash floods occurred in the village of Weiziping, located in a narrow ravine two hours south of downtown Xi’an.
The city’s emergency management authorities warned on Saturday that the area will experience “multiple rounds” of severe storms in the near future.
“Combined with continuous rainfall, the mountains and the ground will be heavily saturated, which will likely lead to secondary disasters such as mountain flash floods and mudslides,” the statement said.
