Landslide at mine in China’s Sichuan province kills 19: state media

A landslide at a mine in China’s southwestern Sichuan province on Sunday killed 19 people, Chinese state media outlet CCTV reported.

The landslide occurred at around 6am in a mountainous area near Leshan city in the south of the province.

The mountainside collapsed onto the production and living facilities of a local mining company, CCTV said.

More than 180 rescue workers were sent to the site and search and rescue operations have been completed. An investigation is underway to establish the cause of the landslide, CCTV added.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident, “extending heartfelt condolences to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, the government and people of China”.

He also extended “best wishes for the ongoing rescue operations”.

The Leshan city was hit by heavy rain over the two days before the incident, weather tracking data indicated.

Earlier this year, at least four people were killed in a collapse at a coal mine in northern China, while the progress in the search for dozens who were missing was hampered by a massive landslide.

In September last year, rain, flash floods and mudslides threatened the search for dozens of people still missing days after a strong earthquake rocked mountainous southwest China, killing at least 82.

In June 2017, at least five people were found dead and over 120 remained missing hours after a massive landslide buried a mountain village in southwest China.