Society

Landslide traps over 100 on Tibet highway

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-13 17:23

LHASA - More than 100 people in nearly 60 vehicles were trapped after a rain-triggered landslide Monday interrupted traffic on a highway in Tibet autonomous region.

The debris of the landslide, which happened around 8 am, buried about 30 meters of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway in Tibet's Nyingchi county, said rescue squad leader Liu Wanlin.

Twenty-five rescuers are attempting to clear the debris with an excavator and two loading machines, as well as free those trapped individuals and get them to safety, Liu said.

He added that it's hard to estimate when traffic will resume, as the cleanup efforts have been hampered by the risk of further geological calamities.