Landslide in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian Provinces: Many Missing and Buried

Recent days, due to heavy rainfall, multiple landslides have occurred in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and other regions, leading to collapsed houses and casualties. In Fujian’s Shanghang County, a landslide caused a temple to collapse, burying a family of six who sought shelter there.

China has been experiencing widespread heavy rain in recent days, particularly in Fujian where continuous downpours have caused numerous landslides and severe disasters.

According to reports from Sohu, in the early hours of June 17, a landslide occurred in Gutan Town, Shanghang County, Longyan City, Fujian Province. Houses near the road were destroyed by the landslide debris, and two villagers went missing, with their bodies later found after search operations.

On June 16, multiple landslides occurred in Zhongchi Town and Xiaba Township of Wuping County, Longyan City, with houses destroyed, communication briefly disrupted, and traffic blocked.

One villager’s house was affected by a landslide behind it, causing the family to be inside at the time and frightened. The villager stated that continuous rainfall had led to multiple collapses, resulting in losses of around 70,000 to 80,000 yuan.

According to the emergency management bureau of Shanghang County, on the night of June 16, a landslide occurred on Qingyuan Mountain in the county, leading to the collapse of a building.

In the afternoon of June 18, a villager from Taiba Village in the area reported to Hongxing News that six people were missing and buried, with a local temple that had stood for centuries collapsing.

Local village officials mentioned that the six individuals were taking shelter inside the temple at the time of the incident, thinking they were safe, but unfortunately, the temple collapsed.

Family and friends of the buried individuals revealed that one of them had posted on social media from inside the temple, stating they were safe, only to be later buried by the temple collapse.

Another local villager stated that the buried individuals, a family of six, have been missing for more than two days. Due to the heavy rain causing communication issues and roads to be blocked, many rescue personnel had to hike to reach the affected areas.

Videos from the scene show villagers and rescuers searching on slopes and collapsed roofs. Currently, the fate of the six missing individuals remains unknown.

According to Shanghang Media, since 6 a.m. on June 16, the county has experienced continuous heavy rainfall, with over 250mm of rain in 11 townships and 24-hour rainfall exceeding historical records in 15 townships.

Major rivers in Shanghang County, including the Ting River, Jiuxian River, and Huangtan River, are all at alarmingly high levels, surpassing the warning water level by 3.78 meters.

Flash floods and geological disasters have caused communication and transportation disruptions, streets and houses to be inundated, and created a serious flood control situation locally.

Affected by continuous heavy rainfall, on June 17, Huashan Yao Township in Zhongshan County, Hezhou City, Guangxi, suffered varying degrees of damage across six administrative villages, with over 80 landslides occurring on multiple roads.

Reportedly, this was the second landslide event since June 17. Another landslide occurred on the morning of June 18.

Local villagers informed CCTV that on June 17 and 18 mornings, the floodwaters in the village rose over a meter deep, entering villagers’ houses due to landslides causing inconvenience on many roads.

On June 17, a landslide also occurred in Shuangmenshixia Village, Pingyuan County, Meizhou City, Guangdong. Videos online showed houses buried by the landslide, resulting in the tragic death of a married couple.

On the morning of June 18, officials from Shangju Town Government of Pingyuan County stated that due to recent extreme heavy rainfall, six villages in the town had experienced landslides, blocking traffic with rolling debris. Currently, communication with the villages is still down, and relatives from outside can only inquire through the town government’s phone line.

Regarding the online reports of a married couple’s tragic fate, officials mentioned that the specific casualties are still being tallied.