China Landslide 2010: Latest Facts, News, Photos & Maps
Landslides triggered by rain on August 8, 2010 enveloped large areas in Zhouqu county, Gansu province of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The number of people confirmed to have died after massive landslides in northwestern China has risen to 1,117, with 627 others missing, officials say.¹ Heavy rains triggered the landslide that wiped away large blocks of homes. The debris poured into a river and dammed the waterway, causing it to flood and submerge parts of the area. Flooding across China this year has hit 28 provinces and is the worst in the country in a decade, according to the government. More than a million homes have been damaged in the nation, and more than $30 billion in damage has been caused by the floods, the government said.² China's government is under growing pressure over the disaster after it emerged that there had been repeated warnings of the dangers of landslides around Zhouqu following decades of mining, logging and damming rivers for hydroelectric power. A 2006 report by Lanzhou University warned of the dangers presented by the destruction of the forests around Zhouqu for mining and agriculture, causing soil erosion and destabilizing hillsides.³
Contents
Landslide Facts
- (8-16-10) – 1,254 caualties; 490 still missing Xinhua
- (8-13-10) – 1,144 casualties BBC
- (8-11-10) – 627 missing BBC
- (8-11-10) – 45,000 people evacuated in Zhouqu county BBC
- (8-11-10) – 300 buildings buried under mud BBC
- (8-11-10) – 66% of county without power BBC
Latest News, Photos & Videos
- (8-18-10) – BBC: Mass rescue after landslide hits China village
- (8-18-10) – CNN: Dozens missing after new mudslides hit China
- (8-18-10) – Telegraph: 60 missing in latest Chinese mudslides
- (8-18-10) – Bloomberg: Flooding in China's Gansu Kills 36 People, Adding to Landslide Death Toll
- (8-17-10) – NPR: China, Pakistan Floods: Preventable Disasters?
- (8-16-10) – CBC: China mourns landslide victims
- (8-13-10) – BBC: Rain triggers fresh China landslides
- (8-12-10) – CS Monitor: China mudslides were predicted 13 years ago
- (8-12-10) – Xinhua: China to complete rebuilding homes destroyed by mudslide in NW China town by next June
- (8-12-10) – BBC: Rain hampers China landslide rescue effort
- (8-12-10) – Herald Sun: Chinese researchers declared area hit by avalanches inhabitable
- (8-11-10) – BBC: China landslide toll passes 1,000
- (8-11-10) – NY Times: More Rain Forecast for Flood-Stricken China
- (8-11-10) – Telegraph: China landslide death toll up tops 1,100
- (8-11-10) – Telegraph: China's deadly landslide 'not an accident'
- (8-11-10) – BBC: Chinese town reeling after landslide
- (8-11-10) – BBC: In pictures: China landslides rescue effort
- (8-11-10) – Wall Street Journal: Mudslide Toll Rises as Beijing Mobilizes
- (8-11-10) – Australian: China ignored landslide alarm
- (8-11-10) – Xinhua: Death toll in China mudslide rises to 1,117, 627 missing
- (8-11-10) – CS Monitor: China flooding expected to worsen with heavy rains
- (8-11-10) – CNN: Harrowing tales of loss and despair from China landslide
- (8-11-10) – Reuters: Downpours bring more worry for China landslide town
Special Reports & Blogs
- Xinhua News – China Fights Against Floods 2010
- NPR – Rains Punish China's Geologically Vulnerable Areas
- Gansu China – Official Website of Gansu Provincial People's Government
- Dave's Landslide Blog
