Massive landslide in China, high-level rescue op for 30 missing

State broadcaster CCTV reportedly said that two people were pulled out from under the rubble after the landslide in China.

China has launched a high-level emergency operation after 10 houses were buried in a massive landslide, leaving more than 30 people missing.

A massive landslide had also struck the southwestern China region last year, claiming the lives of over 35 people. (File Image/AFP)

The landslide struck the Junlian county in the southwestern Sichuan province on Saturday, prompting the Ministry of Emergency Management to deploy hundreds of rescuers, including firefighters.

State broadcaster CCTV said that two people were pulled out from under the rubble, a report from The Associated Press said.

Sichuan Province upgraded its geological emergency response from Level III to Level I, which is the highest level, state-run news agency Xinhua said.

Chinese premier Li Qiang called for an investigation into the incident as well as an inspection of potential geological hazard risks in the nearby areas. Li added that residents under threat should be evacuated to prevent another disaster.

President Xi orders all-out rescue ops

Meanwhile, President Xi Jinping also expressed concern over the incident, urging authorities to make every possible effort to locate the missing people and minimalise casualties, Xinhua reported.

The National Development and Reform Commission has also allocated 50 million yuan ($6.9 million) from the central budget to support the emergency restoration of infrastructure and public service facilities.

Last month, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake had shook parts of the Chinese province of Qinghai on Wednesday, with its epicentre located near the source of the Yellow River, the main natural waterway serving northern China.

The Qinghai-Tibetan plateau was jolted by seismic activity since Tuesday, including a deadly 6.8 magnitude quake in the foothills of the Himalayas in Tibet and a smaller 3.1 magnitude quake in Sichuan.

Last year, a massive landslide in a remote, mountainous part of southwestern China claimed the lives of over 35 people. The disaster had struck the village of Liangshui in the northeastern part of Yunnan province.

The landslide had been triggered by the collapse of a steep clifftop area, with the collapsed mass measuring around 100 metres (330 feet) wide, 60 meters (200 feet) in height and an average of 6 meters (20 feet) in thickness.