Rain-triggered landslide claims 35 lives in northwestern China

Nearly three dozen people have lost their lives after days of heavy and steady rains led to a landslide in a mountainous area of China's northwestern and autonomous Xinjiang Uygur region.

Local authorities confirmed late on Thursday that the natural calamity struck a village in the Yecheng County of Kashgar Prefecture in the early hours of the previous day, burying houses and their occupants.

The officials added that 35 people died as a result, and that a rescue operation is underway to save those trapped in the affected area. Continuous rains have reportedly caused swollen rivers, seriously damaged local roads and highways, and hampered rescue efforts.

The village, which lies deep in Kunlun Mountains, is located 170 kilometers (100 miles) from the seat of the nearest county, Kargilik.

The report comes as heavy flooding across central and southern China has left some 112 people dead or missing in recent days.

According to China’s Civil Affairs Ministry, some 16 million people had been affected by Tuesday as a result of the heavy rains that have submerged vast areas near China’s longest river, Yangtze.

The ministry also said 1.34 million hectares of cropland had been damaged and another 157,800 hectares destroyed by Monday morning, inflicting economic losses of 20.43 billion yuan (over $3 billion).

Senior Chinese officials have issued a warning about the potential for the high record of floods this year due to a strong El Nino weather pattern.

El Nino raises sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific, and is linked to serious crop damage, forest fires, flash floods and droughts around the world.

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