YUNNAN, China — The death toll from a recent landslide in China’s Yunnan province climbed to 20 on Tuesday, Jan. 23, as rescuers continued their efforts in freezing temperatures and snow to find dozens still missing.
Working tirelessly through the night, rescue teams sifted through deep mounds of earth at the landslide site, as reported by state-owned China Central Television (CCTV) on Tuesday.
Following the landslide on Monday, CCTV stated that 47 individuals from 18 households were initially reported missing. To date, 20 have been confirmed dead, 24 remain unaccounted for, and three have been located by rescue teams.
The disaster struck two villages in the southwestern city of Zhaotong around 5:51 a.m. local time (2151 GMT, Jan. 21), burying houses under thick layers of brown mountain soil at the base of a hill, according to CCTV. The cause of the landslide is still undetermined.
