Landslides in China Leave Six Dead and Nine Missing

Landslides in eastern China have killed six people and left nine missing after days of torrential rain brought by Typhoon Saudel, state media reported on Sept. 8.

A mudslide struck Mingkeng village in Jiangxi province on Sept. 5, killing five people and leaving seven missing, the Xinhua news agency said, citing local officials. Another person died and two others remained missing after landslides hit the nearby townships of Zuo’an and Tanghu.

The Mingkeng landslide damaged homes and destabilized roads. More than 170 rescuers were sent to the site to search for those still unaccounted for. Several cities suspended work, classes and transport services as heavy rain continued.

Saudel first made landfall on China’s eastern coast at the end of August. The landslides came after devastating glacial floods in the Himalayas the previous month, which state media said killed 43 people in Tibet and nearly 1,300 people across the border in Nepal. More than 5,000 people remained missing in Nepal, along with another 519 on the Tibetan side of the border.

Scientists say climate change is accelerating glacial melting worldwide and making extreme storms more frequent, increasing the risk of such disasters.