5 buried in SW China landslide

KAILI, Guizhou - Rescuers have reached the scene of a landslide that buried five people on Monday in southwest China's Guizhou Province, but rescue work was hampered by debris falling from the mountain.

The site of a landslide is seen in Longchang Township in the city of Kaili, Southwest China's Guizhou province, Feb 18, 2013. Initial investigation has found that five people, including two children, were buried after a landslide hit Southwest China's Guizhou province on Monday morning. The landslide happened around 11 am in Longchang Township, burying six work sheds. [Photo/Xinhua]

More than 400 rescuers have been sent to Longchang Township in Kaili City, where the landslide occurred around 11 a.m., said Huang Yuanliang, secretary of the Kaili Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, who is at the site of the landslide to direct rescue efforts.

However, Huang said conditions are not ideal for rescue work and a team of geologists is looking into conditions on the mountain.

Rescue workers are racing to relocate nearby residents to safe areas, Huang said.

Rescuers said about 5,000 cubic meters of rock tumbled from the mountain, burying six work sheds belonging to a local coal mine.

Five people, including two children, are believed to have been buried under the rocks. They are coal mine workers and their relatives.

Investigation into the cause of the landslide is underway.