China mountain collapse: 14 killed, 5 missing in Sichuan province

Beijing [China], June 4 (ANI): Fourteen people were killed after a mountain collapsed in China’s South-Western province of Sichuan on Sunday, Global Times reported citing the local authorities.

Five people are reportedly missing after the incident occurred at a state-owned forest farm in Leshan, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
The collapse took place at around 6 am in a forest farm in Yongsheng Township, Jinkouhe District of the city, Xinhua news agency reported.

The local authorities have said that search and rescue efforts are underway.

More than 180 rescue personnel have been deployed to the area, armed with 14 specialised rescue devices, according to Global Times.

Global Times is a daily tabloid newspaper under the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, the People’s Daily.

According to a villager, the mountain’s rubble fell and tumbled on surrounding structures, including a hostel housing personnel from all over the nation, the Global Times reported.

“There aren’t many locals working there; most of the workers and victims are from other places,” said another villager, adding that routes in the hamlet had been closed down following the collapse, which was connected to the recent rise in rainfall.

Further details awaited as the rescue operation is underway.