Death toll of landslide in northwestern China rises to 21 as rescue operations conclude

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers conduct search and rescue at the site of a landslide at a village in Nanhe township of Tanchang County, Longnan City, northwest China's Gansu Province on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Xinhua via AP)

BEIJING — The death toll from a landslide in northwestern China rose to 21, state media reported Wednesday, following the conclusion of rescue operations at the scene.

The landslide, shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday, buried 33 people in the Nanhe township of Longnan city in Gansu province, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. State broadcaster CCTV reported all the people trapped were pulled out by early Wednesday, with seven of them having minor injuries. Five others were not injured, it said.

The cause of the landslide was not immediately clear. Photos and video posted online by CCTV on Tuesday showed three excavators and rescuers on mounds of earth. The sky appeared sunny and clear.