18 children found dead after landslide in China

A landslide in China has claimed the lives of 18 school children it was confirmed on Friday morning...

12:50 06 October 2012

Following a landslide that hit China at approximately 8am on Thursday, a search mission was put in operation to find the missing persons. State media Xinhua has now confirmed that all 18 children from Tiantou primary school, in the Zhenhe village, have been found dead.

 

 

Confirmation came early Friday morning, with reports stating that all of the 18 victims’ bodies had now been found. It is understood that one person is still feared missing after the landslide buried the school and three other buildings in the area, which is south-west of China.

 

Reports from Xinhua stated that around 800 people were evacuated as a result of the landslide, and the rescue operation was believed to have involved 2,000 people, according to reports. Locals buried through rock and earth during their search for the missing locals.

 

China was on a national holiday when the landslide occurred, although the children were attending extra school classes. These were being held because of the disruption caused to their education by a natural disaster just weeks previously.

 

It is understood there will be an investigation in to what may have caused the landslide, as it is believed there were no tell-tale signs before it hit. Some reports claim that heavy rainfall may have been a factor.

 

The area was hit by earthquakes just weeks previously and - as explained by The Telegraph – 81 people lost their lives in September, with almost 800 others being injured as a result.

 

An earthquake in 2008 hit the Sichuan province and resulted in the death of many thousands of people, and this led to people criticising the safety of some school buildings.