By IANS,
Beijing: The landslide which killed 46 villagers in China’s Yunnan province Friday could have been caused due to last year’s earthquakes in the same province, a Chinese expert has said.
According to a Chinese expert, the earthquakes that struck a county in Yunnan province last September were a contributing factor in the Friday’s landslide, Xinhua reported.
Steep slopes, unstable soil and recent precipitation contributed to the landslide, Jiang Xingwu, head of a group of geological disaster prevention experts under the provincial land and resources bureau, said during a press briefing that .
Jiang said earthquakes that jolted Yiliang county Sept 7 last year were also a factor.
The deceased in Friday’s landslide included 19 children of the small village called Gaopo. The toll rose after two missing people were found Saturday morning.
According to the civil affairs bureau, 46 residents – 27 adults and 19 children – were buried in the landslide. The landslide hit the Gaopo village in Zhenxiong County around 8.20 a.m. Friday.
A State Council work group, comprising of officials from several ministries, arrived at the scene at 4 a.m. Saturday to coordinate rescue and disaster relief efforts.
The rescue and disaster relief operation involved over 1,000 rescue workers.