Seven dead in central China landslide

Seven people have been confirmed dead and another four were injured after a landslide buried several houses in a suburban community in central China's Hubei province Saturday, local authorities said Sunday.

The landslide struck four houses in Xuan'en County of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture at about 6:10 am Saturday. Local government confirmed that 11 people lived in one of the four houses while the rest three were unoccupied.

As of 9 pm Saturday, eight people have been rescued and rushed to hospital, but four of them died. The rest three were found dead early Sunday morning, said the rescue headquarters.

Local authorities have sent personnel for monitoring in the nearby regions to guard against possible secondary disasters.

The site of the community is subject to regular geological monitoring because it is prone to such disasters, and an evacuation notice was issued on Friday night after a spell of heavy rain, according to officials.

The rain will continue in the region in the following days, according to the meteorological authorities.