A landslide at an industrial park in southern China buried more than 20 buildings and left 59 people missing on Sunday, state media and local authorities said, as more than 1,500 emergency workers searched the scene.
A nearby section of China’s major West-East natural gas pipeline also exploded, the official China Central Television (CCTV) broadcaster reported.Rescuers pulled four people from the debris after the mudslide in the southern city of Shenzhen in the province of Guangdong bordering Hong Kong, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
It said three of the victims suffered slight injuries while the fourth was unhurt.
It was unclear whether there had been any fatalities and Xinhua did not elaborate on the 59 people it said were missing. Local authorities in Shenzhen also confirmed the number of missing people.
About 900 people were reportedly moved out of harm’s way before the landslide struck late in the morning, according to the Shenzhen Evening News newspaper.
The area has been a large construction site for more than two years.
Soil that had been excavated and stored on a hill turned into mud after heavy rain, causing the landslide.
A video posted by Xinhua showed a massive dust cloud and piles of rubble where buildings once stood. Rescue helicopters were in operation near the scene.
A landslide last month that engulfed 27 homes in rural Zhejiang province killed 38 people. – A-Jazeera
