18 killed in China landslides

BEIJING - At least 18 people were killed and over 2,000 houses were damaged in rain-triggered landslides in China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region Wednesday, authorities said.

Heavy rains since Monday caused Wednesday’s landslides, which killed eight people in Yangchong village and 10 in Rongxian county, Xinhua reported, citing a statement from the land and resources department.

Over 18 people from Yangchong village and 16 from Rongxian county were still missing.

“Many houses in Rongxian county’s villages of Liuwang, Chen and Longtou were buried in the landslide,” an official named Wang Hai was quoted as saying.

A total of 2,273 houses and 78,000 hectares of crops were destroyed, officials said.