A Massive Landslide of Mud and Construction Waste Strikes Shenzhen, China

The Atlantic 

ALAN TAYLOR
DEC 21, 2015
29 PHOTOS - IN FOCUS

On Sunday, an enormous pile of excavated soil and other construction waste crashed down on an industrial park in Shenzhen, China, in a landslide burying dozens of buildings, and leaving more than 90 people listed as missing. Hundreds of rescue workers arrived to search for survivors, reportedly finding at least seven so far. Local media reported that the massive pile of construction debris had been closed earlier this year, but that illegal dumping continued for many months. 

Firefighters search for survivors near a damaged building at the site of a landslide that hit an industrial park in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, December 20, 2015. # Tyrone Siu / Reuters


An aerial photograph of the site of the landslide in Shenzhen, China, on December 21, 2015. #
AFP / Getty

Rescuers look for survivors after a landslide hit an industrial park in Shenzhen on December 20, 2015. # AFP / Getty

Chinese rescuers work at the site of a landslide in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # AFP / Getty


Rescuers use machinery to search for potential survivors near the buildings buried under a sea of red mud in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # Andy Wong / AP

Rescuers search for potential survivors near collapsed buildings following a landslide in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # Andy Wong / AP

In this aerial photograph, Chinese rescuers work at the site of the landslide in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # AFP / Getty


An aerial photograph of the landslide in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # AFP / Getty

A damaged building in the debris of a landslide that hit an industrial park in Shenzhen on December 20, 2015. # AFP / Getty

Chinese rescue personnel walk past damaged buildings and vehicles at the site of a landslide in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # AFP / Getty


Rescuers use machinery to search for potential survivors following a landslide in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # Andy Wong / AP

Excavators work at the site to search for landslide survivors among debris of destroyed buildings in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # Reuters

Rescuers search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings on December 20, 2015, in Shenzhen, China. # ChinaFotoPress via Getty


An aerial view shows rescuers looking for survivors at a damaged building in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # Reuters

Rescue workers look for survivors after a landslide hit an industrial park in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # Johannes Eisele / AFP / Getty

Rescue workers on site in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, on December 21, 2015. #
Kim Kyung Hoon / Reuters


Rescue workers look for survivors on December 21, 2015. # Johannes Eisele / AFP / Getty

Emergency services search for survivors at an industrial park on December 20, 2015. #
Lam Yik Fei / Getty

Firefighters stand next to collapsed buildings in Shenzhen on December 20, 2015. # Reuters


Firefighters use flashlights to search for survivors among the rubble of collapsed buildings, after a landslide hit an industrial park in Shenzhen on December 20, 2015. # Tyrone Siu / Reuters

Evacuees rest in a shelter set up at a gymnasium near the industrial park hit by a landslide on December 21, 2015. # Kim Kyung Hoon / Reuters

Broken houses in the landslide in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # Kim Kyung Hoon / Reuters

People watch rescuers using machinery to potential survivors near a collapsed buildings on December 21, 2015. # Andy Wong / AP

Men in business suits stand on a pile of mud, after the landslide in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # Johannes Eisele / AFP / Getty

Dogs left stranded at a collapsed building on December 21, 2015. # Lam Yik Fei / Getty


Damaged vehicles at the site in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # AFP / Getty

Firefighters search for survivors after buildings collapsed in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. #
Reuters

Rescue workers work in Shenzhen on December 21, 2015. # Reuters


A pair of shoes and other belongings sit near a damaged building, as rescuers search for survivors at the site of a landslide in Shenzhen, China, on December 20, 2015. # Tyrone Siu / Reuters