3 killed, over 26 missing in landslides in China

Fifteen people have been rescued so far.Bodies of a 60-year-old woman and a 6-year-old child were retrieved from debris yesterday night, after Typhoon Megi brought landslides to Sucun Village, Suichang County on Wednesday. Rescuers had found one body earlier yesterday afternoon.

Ten people are receiving treatment in hospital, according to a statement issued by Suichang county government.

Another landslide hit Baofeng where six people are missing. It destroyed several homes by a landslide and rescue operation is underway, state run Xinhua news agency reported.

Nearly 315,000 residents were temporarily relocated in Zhejiang Province. The two landslides were part of the havoc wreaked by Typhoon Megi causing huge economic loss to the province.

Megi, the 17th typhoon this year, forced the evacuation of 236,000 people in the province and destroyed 333 houses, leading to a direct economic loss of USD 402 million, according to the provincial department of civil affairs.

On Wednesday, a landslide hit Sucun Village, Suichang County and left three dead and more than 20 missing, according to a statement by Suichang county government.

"Roughly 400,000 cubic meters of debris slid down the mountains and buried 20 houses. Seventeen other homes were flooded. A township official who went to help villagers is among the missing," county official Zhou Ruichen said.

Zheng Quanwei, 56, was having dinner 200 meters away from the scene when he heard a loud noise and ran outside.

"It was getting dark, but I could see some collapsed houses on the hillside," he said.

Video footage from the scene shows debris cascading down the hill around 5:28 PM as landslide engulfed the hillside.

"The rocks were flowing down like water. I was running so fast that I even lost one of my shoes," said a 58-year-old survivor Su Guohong.

Su Yumin, 64, said he was cooking while taking care of his two grandchildren when he saw a huge rock tumble down.

"I took the kids out of the house. Now the whole family is safe, but 2 tonnes of rice that were drying outside has been lost," state run Xinhua news agency reported.

Many houses in the village were swept away and destroyed, and more than 1,400 residents have been relocated to safer areas.

The local government has mobilised more than 2,200 people, 180 excavators and other emergency equipments for the rescue operations.