Landslide in China’s Sichuan province kills 19

A landslide in China’s southwestern Sichuan province has killed 19 people, Chinese state media outlet CCTV reported on Sunday.

The landslide occurred at around 6am on Sunday morning in a mountainous area near the Leshan city in the south of the province.

More than 180 rescue workers have been dispatched to the site, with search and rescue operations still ongoing, CCTV said.

The Leshan city was hit by heavy rain over the two days before the incident, weather tracking data indicated.

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Earlier this year, at least four people were killed in a collapse at a coal mine in northern China, while the progress in the search for dozens who were missing was hampered by a massive landslide.

In September last year, rain, flash floods and mudslides threatened the search for dozens of people still missing days after a strong earthquake rocked mountainous southwest China, killing at least 82.

In June 2017, at least five people were found dead and over 120 remained missing hours after a massive landslide buried a mountain village in southwest China.