Death toll rises to 11 in SW China landslide

Eleven people are dead after a landslide hit southwest China's Guizhou Province late Tuesday, local authorities said Wednesday.

At about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday, a landslide lashed a village in the city of Liupanshui, burying 21 houses. More than 50 people were living in the affected area when the landslide struck, according to rescuers.

As of about 11 a.m. Wednesday, 11 people were found dead, another 11 were rescued, and an estimated 34 remained missing. Rescue work is still underway.

The Ministry of Emergency Management said Wednesday that it immediately activated an emergency response for the landslide and sent a work team to the site to assist local governments in disaster relief.

Currently, some 560 professional rescuers are searching the site thoroughly for the missing to minimize casualties, the ministry said.

The ministry called for intensified geological and meteorological monitoring to prevent secondary disasters, and efforts to ensure the safety of rescuers.

Another landslide struck a construction site in a village in Hezhang County, Guizhou Province, at around 4 p.m. Tuesday, leaving one dead and six others missing, according to the county government.