27 People Missing as 22 Buildings Collapse in Shenzhen Mudslide

A man-made mountain built from years of construction waste finally gave way today in a massive mudslide that knocked over 22 buildings and left at least 27 people missing in an industrial park in Shenzhen, China.

The catastrophe hit Liuxi Industrial Park in the city’s Guangming New District just before noon on December 20^th, according to a report from the official Xinhua news agency. The account said that four injured people had been rescued and 1,500 workers had joined the search for survivors. The exact number of casualties remains unknown.

The mudslide enveloped an area of more than 20,000 square metres (215,000 square feet), according to an announcement by local officials; knocking over two workers’ dormitories and upending construction machinery while obliterating factories and workshops.

Videos on Chinese social media show local residents running in terror as mud and debris sweep down from the hillside, knocking over three and four-storey buildings in the industrial zone.

People living in the area said that the mudslide resulted from two to three years of dirt and construction waste illegally piled up against a hillside next to the industrial area. Although residents had complained about the issue in the past, no action had been taken to resolve the situation. Following the incident President Xi Jinping issued a directive demanding that Guangdong and Shenzhen authorities rapidly organize emergency measures to minimise casualties.

Today, less than 25 millimetres of rain fell in Shenzhen. Yesterday there was no precipitation recorded.

Negligent construction practices and poor attention to safety have caused numerous catastrophes in China during recent years. In May of this year 15 people were reported missing when heavy rains were blamed for the collapse of a nine-storey residential block in Guizhou province.

In Shanghai, a 13-storey apartment block in Minhang district toppled over in 2009 before residents could move in, after heavy rains undermined a shoddy foundation.