Rescuers in southwestern China have recovered a further 30 bodies following a devastating landslide earlier this month, raising the confirmed death toll to 41, authorities announced.
The disaster occurred on 17 July in Chongqing’s Pengshui County, where a massive collapse of rocks and earth struck a residential and commercial street. The landslide swept away several buildings located at the foot of a mountain and along a riverbank, reports AP/UNB.
Hundreds of rescuers were deployed to the scene to search the rubble for 50 missing persons, despite earlier warnings that there were no signs of life.
While authorities had reported a death toll of 11 on Friday, the figure was revised late Tuesday after DNA testing and identification of bodies and remains found at the site confirmed the additional 30 victims.
This tragedy struck less than a fortnight after a separate landslide in northwestern Gansu province, which buried 33 people and resulted in 21 deaths.
