SHANGHAI: At least 15 people were killed after a landslide caused by flooding in central China’s Hunan province destroyed a guesthouse on Sunday, state media reported.
State broadcaster CCTV and the official Xinhua news agency reported that rescue teams initially feared 18 people were buried under the landslide. However, as of Sunday night, 15 bodies had been recovered, and six persons were found injured. More than 300 emergency personnel were deployed to the scene to aid in the rescue and recovery efforts.
The landslide was caused by flash floods that inundated the region, leading to the destruction of the guesthouse and widespread damage. A video released by the Beijing Youth Daily showed a trail of mud and debris cutting through a hillside, with an uprooted tree lying in front of a partially destroyed three-storey building.
Aerial footage provided by Xinhua revealed the extent of the devastation, showing the ruined base of a building at the top of the debris trail and damaged structures at the hill’s base.
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The incident in Hunan province is part of a broader pattern of extreme weather events affecting China this summer. Flash floods in northern and southwestern China earlier this month have already resulted in at least 20 fatalities. In May, a highway collapse in southern China, triggered by persistent rain, claimed 48 lives.
Experts attribute the increasing frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events to climate change.
China is also leading the global effort in renewable energy production, with recent research indicating that the country is building nearly twice as much solar and wind power capacity as the rest of the world combined.
