At least two dead after landslides in southwest China

Beijing: Landslides in southwest China on Saturday destroyed homes and caused a highway bridge to collapse, killing at least two people and leaving ar...

Beijing: Landslides in southwest China on Saturday destroyed homes and caused a highway bridge to collapse, killing at least two people and leaving around 17 others missing, authorities said.

State broadcaster CCTV said "local mountain torrents and landslides" swept away part of Ridi village in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province.

The disasters killed two people and left 12 missing, CCTV reported, adding that "the disaster situation is undergoing further verification".

In a separate statement, Garze's local government said "a sudden mountain torrent and landslide" caused a highway tunnel bridge to collapse along the highway between Kangding and Luding.

As of 11:00 am, officials had confirmed that at least three vehicles had plunged off the road, carrying six people of whom "one person has been rescued and five are missing", the government said in a social media post.