A mudslide caused by heavy rains near the northern Chinese city of Xi’an killed two people and left 16 more missing.
In recent weeks, China has faced fatal floods and unprecedented rainfall, with the death toll from storms in the country’s north reaching at least 78 on Friday.
“Affected by short-term local heavy rainfall, at 18:00 on August 11… there was a sudden mountain flash flood and mudslide”, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
A preliminary inspection revealed that two houses in the village have currently been washed away, and infrastructure including roads, bridges, and power supply have been damaged.
Four of the persons who were initially trapped by the mudslide have been rescued.
On Saturday morning, Chinese state media reported that emergency response and rescue attempts were still ongoing, with 16 people still missing.
The flash floods happened in the village of Weiziping, which is located in a narrow ravine two hours south of Xi’an.
The city’s emergency management official warned on Saturday that the area would face multiple rounds of strong storms in the near future.
“Coupled with continuous rainfall, mountains, and soil will be highly saturated, likely resulting in secondary disasters such as mountain flash floods and mudslides”, the statement reads.
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