The Chinese State news agency Xinhua is reporting that a landslide in Chongqing Municipality has buried about 60 people.

UPDATE 2: The Chinese state media are now reporting 80 fatalities:

“At least 80 people are feared buried in a landslide at an iron ore mining area in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality on Friday, according to the local government. Rescuers had pulled out seven injured people, including four seriously hurt, from the debris as of 8:30 p.m., according to the publicity department of Wulong County, the site of the accident. The landslide happened at about 3 p.m. in the Jiwei Mountain area, in Tiekuang Township, about 170 kilometers southeast of the downtown area. Millions of cubic meters of rock filled a valley and buried an iron ore plant and six houses.”

Interestingly, TRMM 3 day rainfall data does not suggest that the Chongqing area is subject to heavy rainfall at the moment (see image below – Chongqing is in central west China). I wonder whether this is another flowslide?

I’ll post again when more info is available.