The landslide struck a valley in Tanchang County, China, early on Tuesday morning, ensnaring 33 people, most of whom are temporary laborers from nearby villages.

This picture shows a flood-affected area after heavy rains in Duyun, in China's southwestern Guizhou province on May 19, 2026.

(photo credit: CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images)

ByREUTERS

JULY 8, 2026 05:29

Updated: JULY 8, 2026 08:46

Search and rescue operations have concluded in a landslide that struck China's western Gansu province, with authorities confirming at least 21 fatalities, according to the state news agency Xinhua on Wednesday.

The landslide struck a valley in Tanchang county early on Tuesday morning, ensnaring 33 people.

Most of those affected were residents from nearby villages hired as temporary laborers at a state-run forestry farm that encompasses the valley, state-run China Newsweek said.

The mountainous region with steep valleys and crisscrossing rivers is prone to natural disasters including flash floods and landslides, especially during the rainy season.

Local government websites show multiple recorded landslides in recent years following heavy rain. Mudslides in August 2020 killed at least five people and displaced more than 72,000, while causing 8.2 billion yuan ($1.21 billion) in damage.

In 2010, a huge mudslide in nearby Zhouqu triggered by intense rain killed over 1500 people, with more than 200 people unaccounted for, according to the official tally.

China hit by a string of natural disasters in recent days

Additionally, an earthquake of magnitude 5.0 struck Sichuan, China, on Wednesday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said.

The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), according to GFZ.

In a separate event, two tornadoes wrought devastation in central China's Hubei province, state media said on Tuesday, killing at least eight people as winds of up to 149 kph (92.58 mph) overturned cars and ripped roofs from buildings, leaving trails of mangled metal in their wake.

Over four hours on Monday evening, gales measuring level 13 on the extended Beaufort wind force scale swept over the cities of Huangshi, Huanggang, Ezhou and Xianning, Xinhua reported, citing Hubei's emergency management authorities.

At least one person was still missing, the report added.

China, the world's second-largest economy, is becoming increasingly exposed to extreme weather events that experts attribute to climate change. Torrential rain, scorching summer heat, and gale-force winds cause tens of billions of dollars in economic losses annually, disrupting industry and destroying crops.

Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed rescue workers in Huanggang looking at a badly damaged truck cab that appeared to have been shredded by bits of corrugated steel torn from the roof of a nearby building. Another clip showed a wrecked white car that had been blown into a lamppost that was also surrounded by sheets of twisted steel.

The National Meteorological Center said northeastern Hubei should brace for further heavy to torrential rain on Tuesday, as well as parts of the southwestern Guangxi region, the southern provinces of Guangdong and Hainan, and the more northerly Jilin, Shandong and Liaoning provinces, among other areas.

Xi Jinping calls for 'all-out' rescue efforts

Guangxi region, still reeling from Typhoon Maysak, which killed at least four people in its capital city Nanning over the past few days, should prepare for extremely heavy rain of up to 260 mm (10 inches) over the next 24 hours, which could trigger landslides, the forecast added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for "all-out efforts" to rescue those affected by the floods, CCTV reported on Tuesday.

China also faces Super Typhoon Bavi, which is tracking across the Pacific towards Taiwan and forecast to make landfall along China's eastern coast later this week. The storm packed winds of up to 180 mph as it swept across Guam, Tinian, Saipan, and Rota on Monday.