Mudslide and Landslide in Yunnan Leave 2 Dead, 4 Missing
A mudslide and landslide triggered by heavy rainfall in Fengqing County, Yunnan Province, have left two people dead and four others missing, according to Xinhua News Agency. The disaster struck Fengshan Township in the early hours of August 23, as continuous downpours pounded the mountainous region in western China.
The Disaster
Between 1:00 AM and 8:00 AM on August 23, Fengshan Township experienced sustained heavy rainfall. In Anshi Village, cumulative rainfall reached 101.8 millimeters, triggering a mudslide that left two residents missing. In nearby Shuiqing Village, 106 millimeters of rain triggered a landslide that swept away four residents, CCTV News reported.
By 5:00 PM that day, rescue teams had located two of the missing persons from Shuiqing Village. Medical personnel confirmed both had died. Search efforts for the remaining four missing individuals continued into August 24.
“This slope collapse caused 4 missing persons in Shuiqing Village, of whom 2 have been found; and 2 missing persons in Anshi Village,” a staff member from the Lincang Emergency Management Bureau told Chaoxin News. “Fire rescue forces from both Lincang City and Fengqing County have gone deep into the scene, and related rescue work is underway.”
Emergency Response
Fengqing County authorities quickly activated a Level III emergency response, coordinating emergency management, public security, firefighting, water resources, transportation, natural resources, and medical rescue teams. Operations included evacuating and resettling affected residents, monitoring weather conditions, and preventing secondary disasters.
The Ministry of Natural Resources activated a Level IV geological disaster defense response for Yunnan at 2:00 PM on August 23 and dispatched a working group to the site to guide rescue and relief operations, according to China News Service.
Later that evening, the Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level IV national geological disaster emergency response for Yunnan following a joint assessment with the Ministry of Natural Resources. The Global Times reported that the ministry called on affected regions to “strengthen risk awareness, reinforce bottom-line thinking, comprehensively implement geological disaster prevention and response work… resolutely and decisively carry out evacuation and risk avoidance, ensuring that all who should be evacuated are evacuated promptly.”
The joint assessment determined that the risk of geological disasters in western Yunnan remains high for the next three days.
Local Commitment to Rescue
The Fengqing County Flood Control Emergency Command issued a statement pledging to prioritize the search for missing persons, as reported by Yunnan Daily.
“We will always adhere to putting people first and life first, never giving up any glimmer of hope, making the search and rescue of missing persons the top priority,” the command said. “We will simultaneously carry out dynamic hazard screening, resettlement of affected residents, and prevention of secondary disasters, fully implementing the ‘1262’ early warning and response mechanism.”
The “1262” mechanism is a Yunnan Province innovation for flood prevention and disaster response, linking precise weather forecasting with timely emergency response coordination. It was developed to improve early warning for heavy rain, severe convective weather, and other meteorological disasters.
Broader Context
The disaster occurred during China’s summer flood season, when multiple regions across the country have been experiencing extreme weather events. Yunnan Province is one of China’s most geologically hazardous regions, with frequent mudslides, landslides, and other geological disasters. Western Yunnan has active geological movements, and after years of drought, heavy rainfall can easily trigger such events.
Fengqing County, located in Lincang City in western Yunnan, sits in a mountainous region particularly prone to geological hazards. The area is known as the “Hometown of Dianhong Tea,” with Anshi Village celebrated as the “First Village of Chinese Dianhong Tea,” where the first batch of the famous tea was produced in 1938.
What to Watch
Search and rescue operations for the remaining four missing persons were ongoing as of the latest reports. Authorities have warned that the risk of further geological disasters in western Yunnan remains elevated over the coming days, and residents in vulnerable areas have been urged to remain vigilant. The effectiveness of the “1262” early warning system and the coordination between local and national emergency response agencies will be closely watched as the situation develops.