31 people have died in the Southwest China landslip; the search for the missing is ongoing.

In a tragic turn of events, Chinese state media reported on Tuesday that the number of people confirmed dead or missing from a landslip in the isolated mountainous district of Liangshui in southwest China’s Yunnan province has grown to 31, with 44 still missing.

Northeastern Yunnan was affected by the landslip that hit the village on Monday just before six in the morning. Due to another landslip threat, the accident forced authorities to briefly halt search and rescue efforts early on Tuesday. Afterwards, operations got underway again, bringing in over a thousand rescuers to battle the subzero weather with the help of excavators, drones, and rescue dogs.

According to a state news agency Xinhua report based on an initial examination by local specialists, the landslip was caused by the collapse of a high clifftop area that measured around 60 metres in height, 100 metres in width, and an average thickness of 6 metres. The precise reason behind the initial collapse is yet unknown.

More than 900 locals had to be relocated after seeing aerial photographs published by Xinhua show a heavily terraced mountain spilling over many village homes. The impacted Zhenxiong county is located approximately 2,250 kilometres southwest of Beijing and has elevations of up to 2,400 metres.

Snow, slick roads, and cold temperatures that were predicted to last for the next three days presented problems for rescue efforts. At a nearby hospital, the two survivors who were discovered on Monday are presently getting better.

A number of natural calamities have struck China recently, with a lot of snow causing havoc and putting lives in danger in different areas. Over a thousand people were stranded in a remote skiing area in northwest China last week due to avalanches.

In China, landslides are prevalent and are frequently linked to rain or improper building. At least 70 individuals lost their lives in landslides in only the past year, including over 50 at an open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia.

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake that occurred on Tuesday in a sparsely populated area of western China’s Xinjiang region added to the misery of the landslip. The earthquake caused massive damage but just six injuries in the frigid weather. The country’s western parts have been affected by a number of seismic events, with this one being the most recent.

President Xi Jinping of China has directed “all-out” rescue operations as authorities work quickly to locate survivors despite the difficult circumstances following the landslip. As the rescue operation progresses, more information will be given as the situation continues to change.