China media say 4 dead, 53 missing in landslide

[July 23, 2009]  BEIJING (AP) -- A landslide triggered by heavy rain hit a county in southwestern China's Sichuan province early Thursday, killing at least four people and leaving 53 others missing, state media said.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the Ministry of Civil Affairs confirmed four people were killed and 53 others were missing in Kangding county, but gave no additional details.

An official with the Kangding Public Security Bureau who would only give her surname, Liu, said the landslide occurred early Thursday in Kangding's Guza township and that rescue work was ongoing. She was not sure how many were dead or missing.

Heavy rains and floods have hit several areas of China in the last month, with 15 hikers killed two weeks ago when they were trapped in a canyon near Chongqing, also in southwestern China.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.