Eleven people killed in landslide in central China

SHANGHAI, July 28, 2024 (BSS/AFP) – A landslide caused by flooding in central China’s Hunan province destroyed a local guesthouse and killed 11 people, state media reported. At least one person is still missing.

The official CCTV station reported that “it was initially confirmed that 18 people were buried.”

By Sunday afternoon, 11 bodies and six injured people had been found.

According to CCTV monitoring, the landslide was caused by a flash flood in the mountains.

The broadcaster reported that more than 240 rescuers were dispatched to the scene and that “rescue work was continuing urgently.”

A video released by state-run Beijing Youth Daily showed a swath of mud and rubble across a green hillside, while an uprooted tree lay in front of a three-story building.

China has seen extreme weather this summer, with flash floods in the country’s north and southwest killing at least 20 people earlier this month.

In May, a highway in southern China collapsed after days of rain, killing 48 people.

Scientists say climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent and intense, and China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Beijing, which has long relied on polluting energy sources such as coal, has pledged to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming, by 2030 and to net zero by 2060.

China is already the world’s largest producer of renewable energy, with research this month showing it is building almost twice as many solar and wind farms as the rest of the world combined.