5 dead, 11 missing in downpour-triggered mudflow

Five people were confirmed dead after a heavy rain-triggered mudflow hit the Mengdong township in southeast Yunnan’s Malipo County, local authorities said on September 2. Eleven people are still missing and another five were injured.

Heavy downpour inflicted the township from 2:00 to 5:00 am, causing a local market and several rental houses flooded, according to a statement released by the county’s publicity department.

In the ensuing mudflow, shops were damaged, power and communications were interrupted, and several cars were buried or washed away. 

Local authorities have sent rescuers to the disaster-hit areas. Investigation on the disaster details is underway.

Reporting Huang Peng, Zhang Denghai and Zhang Yin; trans-editing by Wang Shixue