20,000 Chinese People Forced to Abandon Homes as Massive Mudslide Destroys Village

A devastating mudslide hit a village in western Sichuan’s Danba county in the early morning hours of June 17. The entire village was almost annihilated with only 15 buildings left standing. The mudslide resulted in the formation of a landslide dam—a natural damming of a river formed by landslides or volcanic eruptions—which disrupted an inter-provincial expressway, Highway G350. The dam later collapsed and the water rushed downstream threatening the lives of residents living there.