4 dead, 900 evacuated after landslides triggered by flash floods in southwest China

Four people have died and three others are missing after landslides hit a county in China’s southwestern Sichuan province, leading authorities to evacuate more than 900 people

Four people died and three others were missing after landslides hit a county in China’s southwestern Sichuan province on Tuesday, leading authorities to evacuate more than 900 people.

The landslides, triggered by flash floods, occurred in Miansi and Weizhou townships in Wenchuan county, according to the county’s emergency management bureau.

More than 400 rescuers searched for missing people after the landslides hit early Tuesday, state media said. Four people, including a couple from Miansi township, were found dead later on Tuesday, while three others remained missing, according to official broadcaster CCTV.

More than 900 people in the area were evacuated, Xinhua news agency reported.

Wenchuan county was the site of a devastating earthquake in 2008 that claimed at least 69,000 lives, according to the Chinese government.

China is experiencing extreme weather patterns, with heavy rainfall in southern regions and record-breaking temperatures in the north including in the capital, Beijing.