The landslide struck the village of Xinmo around dawn on Saturday, burying more than 40 homes.
It is the biggest landslide in this area since the Wenchuan natural disaster that killed 87,000 people in 2008 in a town in Sichuan. Wang was referring to China's deadliest natural disaster this century, a magnitude 7.9 temblor that struck Sichuan province in May 2008, killing almost 90,000 people. Qiao Dashuai said they had survived only because his infant son had woken him up. "Wind was coming into the room so I wanted to close the door".
The Maoxian government said on its Weibo social media account that six bodies were pulled from the rubble while 112 people remained missing. Most residents are of the Qiang ethnic minority.
Images from the scene showed bulldozers and heavy diggers moving debris and boulders that swept into a valley, blocking a 2-kilometer (1.25-mile) section of river. Wang Yongbo, a local rescue official, told state broadcaster CCTV that an estimated 3 million cubic meters (105 million cubic feet) of earth and rock - equivalent to more than 1,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools - had slid down the mountain.
The director of the local weather services, Tao Jian, told CCTV that the 2008 quake had "weakened the mountain" over Xinmo and that even "a weak rain can provoke a geological catastrophe".
Heavy rain is forecast to continue in Hunan over the next few days.
The Sichuan Daily said rescuers made contact with a villager buried under the rubble who answered her cellphone when they called and burst into tears.
White House responds to Comey tape inquiry with Trump tweet
I am gravely concerned by all of this and have concluded that Robert Mueller should recuse himself from further involvement. Legal experts say whatever connection they do have doesn't come close to meriting Mueller's removal as special counsel.
One family was able to flee before the landslide hit their home.
Search and rescue efforts were underway.
Photos showed an area buried by earth and massive rocks.
Xinhua, the official news agency, reported that about 1000 rescuers were using detection devices and dogs to look for signs of life in an area that once held 62 homes and a hotel.
The Sichuan province is also known to be prone to earthquakes.
Xi has ordered the State Council, China's Cabinet, to send a work team to the site.
One of the deadliest landslides took place in 1991, when 216 were killed in southwestern Yunnan province.
Comments