Landslide hits Chinese village

There were many devastating landslides in August

Fifteen people have been killed and 11 others seriously injured due to a massive landslide in China's Yunnan province, about 2,250 kilometres (1,400 miles) south-west of Beijing.

The official Xinhua news agency said 14 homes in the village of Yichikou, in Wuding county, were buried by the landslide after a day of continuous rain.

Communication and transport links to the village, home to less than 200 people, have also been cut off by the landslide.

The government is sending tents, blankets, emergency food and other supplies to the area, and a fund totalling 1.4m yuan (US $170,000) was allocated to help the affected families.

Rescuers are continuing to dig through the rubble for any survivors.

History of flooding

Local government sources told the Xinhua news agency the villagers of Yichikou have now been moved to a safe area.

More than 1,000 people have died in China this year in landslides and flash floods due to torrential rains.

The province of Yunnan has been especially badly hit, with 100 people killed in August alone, according to the state media.

In one incident, a massive mudslide engulfed villages on 16 August, burying 600 homes and killing at least 28 people south of the provincial capital, Kunming.