China landslide death toll climbs to 22

The death toll in a landslide in China’s southeastern Fujian province has risen to 22, with 17 people still missing, state media said on Monday.

The landslide, triggered on Sunday by heavy rain, hit a hydroelectric power station that was under construction in Fujian’s Taining County.

“As of 1 p.m., 22 bodies had been found at the scene and two people who were on the missing list had been found alive and safe,” the official Xinhua news agency said, citing authorities. the official Xinhua news agency said, citing authorities.

Constant rain has made saving work more challenging, Xinhua said. In December, 77 individuals were entombed by a landslide in the southern city of Shenzhen.

The government has attributed that catastrophe on violations of building security rules and several officials are detained.

The landslide of Sunday is the most recent injury to have raised questions about China’s industrial safety standards and dearth of supervision over years of fast economic growth.