At least four dead, 17 missing after rain-triggered landslides hit China’s Guizhou province

Mehtab Pirzada/DNA

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss of life caused by landslides in Guizhou, China.

Offering condolences to the bereaved families, the prime minister said Pakistan stands in solidarity with the people and government of China during this difficult time and prayed for the safe recovery of those still missing.

At least four people have been confirmed dead and 17 remain missing after torrential rains triggered two separate landslides in southwestern China’s mountainous Guizhou province on Thursday, according to state media reports.

The first landslide struck Changshi township in Dafang County at around 3am local time (1900 GMT Wednesday), followed by a second in Guowa township at approximately 9am, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Nineteen people from eight households were initially trapped, with ongoing efforts to locate survivors.

Aerial footage showed entire villages submerged in thick brown mud, with farmland inundated at the base of densely forested hillsides.

In response, authorities activated a Level II emergency response — China’s second-highest alert — for geological disasters. The Ministry of Natural Resources has dispatched a specialised team to oversee rescue operations, while the emergency management ministry urged rescue personnel to exert “every possible effort” despite difficult terrain.

However, it said the remote region was “high and steep” and that rescue efforts were proving “difficult”.