Saturday 6 July 2013

Five killed and four injured in Yunnan Landslide.

Five people were killed, including two children, and another four injured when a landslide crushed two houses in Gaoqiao Village in Yanjin County in northwest Yunnan Province, at about 5.00 am on Friday 5 July 2013 (9.00 pm on Thursday 4 July, GMT). Two of the injured remain in hospital, but are not thought to be in life-threatening conditions. 

Rescuer workers at the scene of the Gaoqiao landslip on the morning of Friday 5 July 2013. Zhang Guangyu/China Daily.

Southwest China has suffered a series of flooding and landslip events that have claimed at least a dozen lives since Tropical Storm Rumbia arived on the coast on Tuesday 2 July. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall.

The hillside above the Gaoqiao landslide. Yuan Zhengxiong/Xinhua.

Heavy digging equipment being brought in in the aftermath of the Gaoqiao landslide. Zhang Guangyu/Asianewsphoto

Survivors of the Gaoqiao landslide receiving treatment in a local hospital. Zhang Guangyu/Asianewsphoto.

The approximate location of the Gaoqiao landslide. Google Maps.


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