Thirty five people have been confirmed dead and one is still missing following a landslide in Taining County in Fujian Province in southeast China, on Sunday 8 May 2016. The landslide swept through a temporary encampment occupied by workers on a hydro-electric project, and is reported to have involved the movement of about 100 000 cubic meters of rock and mud. At least a dozen people were hospitalised following the incident, and a search operation has been mounted involving around 200 police and army personnel.
Rescue workers at the site of the 8 May 2016 Taining County landslide. China Daily.
The incident happened following several days of heavy rain in the area. 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. Further rain has been hampering rescue efforts at the site and more is predicted in the area in the forthcoming week, leading local authorities to warn that about 4100 people are currently living in areas considered to be at high risk of landslides in the area. Fujian Province has a subtropical climate with cool dry winters and warm wet summers, with peak rainfall occurring in May and June. both of which months will typically see more than 200 mm of rainfall.
See also...
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Multiple deaths following landslide in Zhejiang Province, China. Eleven people have been confirmed dead and another 26 are still missing
following a landslide that buried about 27 houses in the village of
Lidong in the Llandu District of Zhejiang Province at about 10.50 pm
local time on Friday 13 November 2015. The...
Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake in Fujian Province, south China. The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake at a depth of 13.3 km, 30 km to the
west of Putian City in Fujian Province...
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