Death toll reaches 44 in southwest China landslide, officials confirm

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Video shows aftermath of China landslide that buried 47

Rescuers searching for survivors in Liangshui village after a landslide in southwestern China. (Credit: Reuters)

• The death toll from a landslide in southwestern China has reached 44 after four days of searching through debris.
• The fatal landslide occurred in Liangshui village, destroying dozens of homes.
• The initial collapse was triggered by the collapse of a steep cliff area, officials say.

The bodies of the remaining victims of a landslide in southwestern China were recovered Thursday, bringing the death toll to 44 after four days of searching through the rubble of dirt and crumbled homes, state media said.

The final body was found in the evening, according to state broadcaster CCTV, which posted photos of excavators and teams of searchers in orange uniforms and helmets, part of a contingent of more than 1,000 rescuers.

The landslide slammed into houses at the foot of a slope early Monday morning in Liangshui, a village in a remote and mountainous part of Yunnan province. It left a barren swath on the slope after hitting the village, which sits between snow-covered, terraced fields.

LANDSLIDE IN CHINA BURIES 47 PEOPLE IN MORE THAN A DOZEN HOMES

Two survivors were found on Monday.

Rescuers carry out operations in Liangshui Village, Tangfang Town in the city of Zhaotong in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province, on Jan. 23, 2024. The bodies of the remaining victims were recovered Thursday, bringing the death toll to 44 after four days of searching. (Hu Chao/Xinhua via AP)

A preliminary investigation found that the landslide had been triggered by the collapse of a steep clifftop area, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It did not elaborate on the cause of the initial collapse.

Rescuers struggled with snow, icy roads and freezing temperatures. The area is about 1,400 miles southwest of Beijing, the Chinese capital, with altitudes ranging up to 7,900 feet.

DEATH TOLL IN CHINA LANDSLIDE RISES TO 25 AS MORE THAN 1,000 FIRST RESPONDERS LOOK FOR SURVIVORS

A strong earthquake also struck western China this week, killing three people in the Xinjiang region in the northwest. The death toll from Tuesday’s magnitude 7.1 quake was low because it was a relatively deep one, far below the surface, in a sparsely populated area, experts said. Local officials also credited efforts to improve housing in the area.

In another tragedy, a fire in a commercial building in southeastern China’s Jiangxi province killed at least 39 people on Wednesday.