100 tourists trapped by landslide in Gansu reach safety
100 travellers were on way to nature reserve when caught by storms that have killed 89
A group of Vietnamese tourists who became trapped by a landslide in the country's northwest amid week-long storms that have killed at least 89 people have reached a major town, state media reported yesterday.
At least 100 tourists, including the 38 Vietnamese, became trapped on Friday night in Gansu province after a landslide cut off traffic, Xinhua said. They were en route to a nature reserve in Sichuan province, which has been hit hardest by the storms, and had reached accommodation by later that night after road repair work to free them.
They finally arrived in the central city of Xian yesterday morning but have cancelled their travel plans, Xinhua said, citing local authorities. A man on duty at the Xian city government office said he had no information to share. The location of the remaining tourists was unknown.
Meanwhile, a collapsed dam triggered a flood at a scenic spot in the southern province of Guangxi yesterday afternoon, killing eight tourists and injuring five, Xinhua reported. Authorities were searching for an unknown number of missing. It was unclear if the dam collapsed as a result of the storms.
Sichuan has reported at least 48 storm-related deaths over the past week. A massive mudslide that struck a scenic resort outside the city of Dujiangyan on Wednesday killed 43 people.
Flooding in Sichuan was the worst in 50 years for some areas, with 220,000 people forced to evacuate.
