https://www.scmp.com/rss/321959/feed On Sunday, December 20 2015, a massive landslide struck an industrial park in Shenzhen, southern China. The landslide covered more than 100,000 square metres at the Hengtaiyu Industrial Park in Guangming New District. Residents suggested that illegal dumping of construction waste, which they said had been rife over the last few years, could have been a factor in the disaster. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The 12th China International Press Photo Contest shone the spotlight on leading events and issues around the world in 2015, including the European refugee crisis and the Tianjin Port explosions. https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1934085/press-photo-awards-put-china-frame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1934085/press-photo-awards-put-china-frame?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Apr 2016 00:17:56 +0000 The authorities in southern China are searching for six more people in connexion with the massive landslide in Shenzhen last month which killed dozens of people, state media reported. Twenty-five people have already been held by the police over the disaster. Sixteen of them have been formally arrested and nine criminally detained. No details were given in the latest report from the state-run news agency Xinhua about who the six are or what their alleged role in the disaster was. The number of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1900632/shenzhen-landslide-police-hunt-six-more-suspects-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1900632/shenzhen-landslide-police-hunt-six-more-suspects-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Jan 2016 06:57:15 +0000 The number of people confirmed killed in a huge landslide last month in China has risen to 58, the authorities said, with several more still missing. The landslide in the southern city of Shenzhen, which was caused by the improper storage of waste from construction sites, was the latest in a series of fatal man-made accidents in the world’s most populous country. Initially only seven people were declared dead with scores missing, but the Shenzhen authorities said on a verified social media... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1898547/58-confirmed-dead-shenzhen-landslide-disaster-dozens-more-still?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1898547/58-confirmed-dead-shenzhen-landslide-disaster-dozens-more-still?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jan 2016 05:46:35 +0000 Any cadres guilty of negligence over the handling of a massive landslide in Shenzhen last month will be held responsible, a senior work safety official has reportedly vowed. During a tour of the landslide site, Sun Huashan, deputy director of the State Administration of Work Safety, said the investigation would be “up to standard”, state-run China News Service reported on Sunday. A mountain of construction waste collapsed on December 20, destroying 33 buildings in the Hengtaiyu industrial zone... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1897833/shenzhen-landslide-investigation-must-stand-test-history-senior?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1897833/shenzhen-landslide-investigation-must-stand-test-history-senior?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Jan 2016 15:30:45 +0000 Authorities in southern China have formally arrested 11 people for their role in a landslide unleashed at construction waste dump last month that killed 12 people and left 62 others missing and presumed dead. Prosecutors in the southern city of Shenzhen said in a statement late Thursday that a dispatcher and supervisor of the landfill, the chief and deputy manager of a company in charge of the landfill, and seven other people were arrested. In the Dec. 20 disaster, a mountain of construction... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1897357/eleven-arrested-over-shenzhen-landslide-authorities-swoop-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1897357/eleven-arrested-over-shenzhen-landslide-authorities-swoop-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jan 2016 15:33:10 +0000 There was a muted feel to New Year celebrations in many mainland cities, as the nation reflected on a year with its share of tragedies, and authorities took a cautious approach amid rising security concerns. At venues across the country, events were cancelled, or security tightened, though official celebrations went ahead in Beijing. The central government would continue to support One Country, Two Systems and the prosperity of Hong Kong, President Xi Jinping told the New Year tea gathering of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1896903/hong-kong-parties-blaze-fireworks-new-years-eve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1896903/hong-kong-parties-blaze-fireworks-new-years-eve?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Dec 2015 15:45:00 +0000 China’s southern province of Guangdong, one of the country’s biggest industrial bases, will check all construction waste sites in the wake of a deadly landslide to ensure none are in dangerous locations or poorly managed, state media said on Sunday. The December 20 landslide in the boom town of Shenzhen buried more than 30 buildings in an industrial park and has left around 70 people missing, with only a handful of bodies found so far. The central government on Friday labelled the landslide a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1895086/officials-order-checks-all-construction-waste-sites-guangdong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1895086/officials-order-checks-all-construction-waste-sites-guangdong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Dec 2015 10:30:15 +0000 Rescue workers and government officials held a ceremony yesterday to commemorate those killed in the huge landslide in Shenzhen last week, but relatives of the dozens missing and presumed dead did not attend saying they still hope their relatives are alive and it was still too early to mourn. The families of the missing have expressed increasing frustration over the slow pace of the rescue work at the industrial estate that was hit by the massive landslip last Sunday. Seventy-five people are... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1895004/shenzhen-landslide-hopes-fade-rescuers-pause-honour-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1895004/shenzhen-landslide-hopes-fade-rescuers-pause-honour-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Dec 2015 18:30:00 +0000 The Shenzhen landslide that killed seven people and left dozens missing was an “industrial safety accident” rather than a geological disaster, a Chinese cabinet investigation reportedly found. The landslide, which struck the southern city on Sunday, is the latest in a series of fatal man-made accidents in the world’s most populous country – coming just months after a massive chemical blast in the industrial city of Tianjin killed almost 200 people. The disaster was caused by the improper... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1894877/shenzhen-landslide-declared-industrial-accident-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1894877/shenzhen-landslide-declared-industrial-accident-not?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Dec 2015 14:15:45 +0000 Migrant worker Tian Zeming survived while buried for 67 hours under eight metres of rubble following Sunday morning’s deadly landslide in Shenzhen by thinking of his mother and eating sunflower seeds and grapefruit. He remained conscious throughout his ordeal and defiantly kept tapping with a stone to attract the attention of rescue workers. Tian, 21, told rescuers, after they dug a hole down to just above his head on Wednesday morning, that throughout his ordeal he had kept thinking of his... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1894064/shenzhen-landslide-man-found-alive-under-eight-metres-rubble?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1894064/shenzhen-landslide-man-found-alive-under-eight-metres-rubble?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Dec 2015 04:30:30 +0000 The collapsed dump in Shenzhen has reinvigorated calls to improve handling of construction waste, a persistent concern for policymakers in Shenzhen and other cities. Some cities, such as Foshan in Guangdong and Changsha in Hunan province, have stepped up inspections of local dump sites to prevent similar tragedy. Li Ying, an associate professor at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, said each city had its own system to handle construction waste. In theory, it should have... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893995/shenzhen-landslide-how-china-creates-more-waste-its-dump-sites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893995/shenzhen-landslide-how-china-creates-more-waste-its-dump-sites?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Dec 2015 17:00:00 +0000 China’s leadership pledged on Tuesday to make the country’s cities better and safer to live in, as the top officials wrapped up a two-day urban works conference amid rescue efforts in Shenzhen after Sunday’s deadly landslide. In the first urban works gathering since 1978, the top Communist Party cadres, headed by President Xi Jinping (習近平), reflected on China’s urbanisation over the past few decades. READ MORE: China’s leaders meet to map plans for the economy – and the country’s cities “We must... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1893990/china-vows-make-its-crowded-chaotic-cities-safer-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1893990/china-vows-make-its-crowded-chaotic-cities-safer-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Dec 2015 16:30:30 +0000 Rescuers dug out the first survivor of the Shenzhen landslide disaster early on Wednesday morning after three days of searching, state media reported. The survivor, a man identified by the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily as migrant worker Tian Zeming, 19, from Chongqing, had been trapped for about 67 hours since Sunday morning’s disaster. Watch: First body found in China landslide as hopes fade He was conscious when he was pulled from the debris at 6.40am on Wednesday after initially being located... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893991/shenzhen-landslide-first-picture-survivor-pulled-rubble-three?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893991/shenzhen-landslide-first-picture-survivor-pulled-rubble-three?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Dec 2015 16:30:15 +0000 As rescuers continue to comb through the devastating aftermath of Sunday’s landslide in Shenzhen, the chorus of condemnation grows. Residents are sure that illegal dumping of construction waste – apparently rife in recent years – contributed to the calamity. Three decades of headlong economic growth have been catching up with China in terms of safety and damage to the environment. The landslide is the fourth major disaster to strike China in a year following a deadly New Year’s Eve stampede in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1893859/pictures-shenzhen-linfen-deadly-history-unnatural-disasters-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1893859/pictures-shenzhen-linfen-deadly-history-unnatural-disasters-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Dec 2015 05:38:11 +0000 The full horror of the Shenzhen landslide disaster that destroyed or damaged more than 30 buildings in an industrial estate is still to emerge. Hope is ebbing fast for survivors among scores of people still unaccounted for after a man-made mountain collapsed. Our first thoughts must be with families who have lost loved ones, and with those who pray they may be found alive. But it is not too soon to ask why a catastrophe plainly waiting to happen could not have been averted, and to reflect on the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1893781/shenzhen-landslide-disaster-shows-urbanisation-must-go-hand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1893781/shenzhen-landslide-disaster-shows-urbanisation-must-go-hand?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Dec 2015 17:00:00 +0000 Rescuers combing through the wasteland of mud and rubble from a landslide on the outskirts of Shenzhen retrieved the first dead body early today. The grim discovery – reported by the official Xinhua News Agency, without giving more details – came as the rescue command confirmed there was no potential danger for a secondary disaster after staff from China National Petrolem Corporation cleared the remaining natural gas in the nearby pipelines overnight. Officials yesterday said 85 people were... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1893780/shenzhen-landslide-first-dead-body-found-among-debris?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1893780/shenzhen-landslide-first-dead-body-found-among-debris?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Dec 2015 16:30:00 +0000 The company that won the bid to build and operate a construction waste dump that triggered the massive landslide at a Shenzhen industrial park appeared to be unqualified for the job, mainland media reported yesterday. Luwei Property Management Company contracted the project out to another firm, which paid 750,000 yuan (US$115,670 or HK$896,750) in 2013 – a year before the winner of the bid was decided, according to the reports. Luwei’s business spans indoor and outdoor cleaning, indoor... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893777/firm-won-bid-shenzhen-dump-transferred-contract-chinese-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893777/firm-won-bid-shenzhen-dump-transferred-contract-chinese-media?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Dec 2015 15:15:00 +0000 Scientist-turned city party boss Ma Xingrui rushed back to Shenzhen on Sunday from Beijing, where he was attending an important meeting laying out plans for the nation’s future economic policies, after hearing news of the massive landslide. It remains unclear if the disaster, which engulfed 33 buildings and left 91 people missing at the Hengtaiyu Industrial Park in the city’s Guangming New District on Sunday afternoon will harm the career of one of the nation’s rising political stars. Read more:... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893731/chinas-former-top-scientist-turned-city-party-boss-rushes-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893731/chinas-former-top-scientist-turned-city-party-boss-rushes-back?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Dec 2015 09:45:45 +0000 Heartbroken relatives of people missing in the Shenzhen landslide gathered near the scene of the disaster and at a temporary shelter on Monday, anxiously waiting for news about their loved ones, but their hope gradually fading. A woman whose fiancé is among the missing broke down as she stood on the boundary of the mountain of earth and was led away by her family as rescuers continued their search in the distance. READ MORE: Shenzhen landslide waste dump had been ordered to close over safety... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893721/our-wedding-10-days-why-happening-anguish-woman-whose-fiance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893721/our-wedding-10-days-why-happening-anguish-woman-whose-fiance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000 The waste dump that created a massive landslide in Shenzhen, with dozens missing after the disaster, was ordered to close five months ago and take action to improve safety, but had continued to operate. Documents published by the authorities in the Guangming New District on its website show that officials had carried out several monthly inspections at the huge tip. READ MORE: Ninety-one still missing as rescuers search for survivors after massive Shenzhen landslide The revelation comes as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893696/shenzhen-landslide-waste-dump-had-been-ordered-close-over-safety?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893696/shenzhen-landslide-waste-dump-had-been-ordered-close-over-safety?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Dec 2015 07:30:30 +0000 A massive landslide buried a vast area at an industrial park in Shenzhen, leaving dozens missing on Monday. Residents suggested that illegal dumping of construction waste, which they said had been rife over the last few years, could have been a factor. SCMP photographer Edward Wong was at the scene to capture the devastation. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1893625/shenzhen-landslide-pictures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1893625/shenzhen-landslide-pictures?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Dec 2015 02:30:15 +0000 Rescue workers were searching for survivors on Monday after a massive landslide struck an industrial estate in Shenzhen in southern China. In all, 85 people are still unaccounted for, according to official figures released on Monday.  More than 30 buildings were destroyed or damaged after the huge landslip on Sunday morning.  UPDATE: Shenzhen landslide waste dump had been ordered to close over safety fears, documents reveal The landslide covered more than 100,000 square metres at the Hengtaiyu... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893533/shenzhen-landslide-27-still-missing-disaster-collapsed-22?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1893533/shenzhen-landslide-27-still-missing-disaster-collapsed-22?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Dec 2015 08:45:00 +0000