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.
See also Six killed by Yunnan landslide, Two people killed in Hunan landslide, Four people killed in Sichuan landslide, Seven people killed by Landslide in Shaanxi Province, China and Three people killed by landslide in Sichuan Province, China.
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