Death toll from landslide in northwest China rises to 21: state media

The death toll from a landslide in China's northwestern Gansu Province rose to 21 a day after it buried 33 people, state media reported Wednesday.

Rescue teams had rushed to the site of the landslide, which occurred at around 6:56 a.m. on Tuesday (2256 GMT Monday) at Rencang village in Dangchang County, state news agency Xinhua said.

"Search and rescue operations at the site of the landslide in Dangchang County have concluded; the landslide resulted in 21 fatalities," Xinhua said on Wednesday, citing local authorities.

Authorities have set aside 30 million yuan (US$4.4 million) in reconstruction funds following the landslide.

Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience intense rainfall while others bake in scorching heat.

Tuesday's landslide occurred the same day intense storms and rains in southern and central China killed around 17 people and injured hundreds of others.

Tens of thousands of people were also evacuated across the southern region of Guangxi, where around 40 rivers and waterways flooded and torrents of water breached a reservoir dam, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

President Xi Jinping has called for "all-out" rescue efforts, while Water Resources Minister Li Guoying warned Guangxi and parts of southwestern Guangdong would continue to be hit by rain on Wednesday.

Typhoon Maysak first hit Hainan on Friday, then crossed the Beibu Gulf and made a second landfall around the China-Vietnam border area before moving into Guangxi. It brought torrential rain to parts of Nanning, Qinzhou and Beihai.

Authorities said water levels on 29 rivers in Guangxi were above warning levels, while a Level Three flood control emergency response was activated. Some trains on the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang high-speed railway and other routes were suspended.

Officials warned residents to remain alert for further danger, including flash floods, landslides, river flooding, geological hazards and urban waterlogging.