21 who died in landslide were forestry workers 

A landslide buried and killed 21 forestry workers walking through a remote valley in the mountains of northwestern China, state media reported yesterday after rescue operations ended.

12 others survived, seven with minor injuries, state broadcaster CCTV said. The team was heading out to clear and maintain forest land when the landslide struck shortly before 7 a.m. on Tuesday.

Footage on CCTV showed a swath of denuded mountainside that ended in the valley. The exposed earth contrasted sharply with the green, heavily forested slopes that angled up steeply on both sides under mostly clear skies.

The landslide was about 40 meters wide and covered roughly 5,400 square meters, Longnan city natural resources official Yang Yaoxian said at a news conference. Excavators were used to help clear the accumulated debris, which was about 8 to 10 meters deep.

A preliminary assessment indicated the landslide was caused by a combination of the steep terrain, erosion and the area’s geological structure. The material left by the landslide was unstable and there is a risk of a second landslide, Yang said.

The landslide was in an uninhabited area in Gansu province’s Tanchang county, about 220 kilometers (140 miles) south of Lanzhou, the provincial capital. MDT/AP