Earthquakes blamed for fatal SW China landslide

ZHENXIONG, Yunnan - Earthquakes that struck a county in Southwest China's Yunnan province last September were a contributing factor in a Friday landslide that killed 46 people, an expert said Saturday.

Jiang Xingwu, head of a group of geological disaster prevention experts under the provincial land and resources bureau, said at a press briefing that steep slopes, unstable soil and recent precipitation contributed to the landslide.

Jiang said earthquakes that jolted Yiliang county on Sept 7 of last year were also a factor.

The landslide occurred in the village of Gaopo county in Zhenxiong county, which is located near Yiliang, around 8:20 am Friday.

Forty-six people, including 27 adults and 19 children, were killed in the landslide. Another two people were injured.

A State Council work group made up of officials from several ministries arrived at the scene at 4 am Saturday to coordinate rescue and disaster relief efforts.

Yiliang suffered a landslide in October after the previous month's earthquakes, leading to the deaths of 19 people.

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