18 dead, 3 missing in SW China landslide

KUNMING - Eighteen primary school students have been confirmed dead in a landslide Thursday in quake-hit Yunnan province in Southwest China.

As of 2 am Friday, one villager was still missing and another one seriously injured in the disaster, said a spokesman with the Yiliang county government.

The landslide occurred at around 8:10 am Thursday in the village of Zhenhe, Longhaixiang Township of the county, burying 19. It also blocked a river nearby, forming a barrier lake that is 15 meters wide and seven meters deep, said the spokesman.

The injured was receiving treatment at a temporary medical station, and it is not known yet whether the injury was life threatening or not.

All the dead were students from the Shangba Primary School, according to the county's education bureau.

Three teaching buildings of the school were damaged in the earthquakes early September and demolished later, forcing over 30 students to have lessons at the nearby Tiantou Primary School.

The students were preparing classes, scheduled to begin at 9 am at Tiantou School, when the landslide occurred, the bureau's official said on Thursday.

They were arranged to take classes despite the ongoing National Day holiday to make up for school delayed by the quakes.

Yiliang was struck by multiple earthquakes on Sept 7, which left 81 people dead and 800 others injured.