Landslide in northwest China kills 19 road workers

BEIJING (AP) — A landslide in northwestern China buried a dormitory for highway construction workers as they slept inside, killing 19 and injuring two others, officials said Saturday.

The landslide crushed eight temporary dormitory rooms in Ganquan county, which is part of the city of Yan’an in Shaanxi province, according to the local government.

Nine people were killed on the site and 10 others died after unsuccessful attempts to save them, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Landslides are common in China’s mountainous regions, where road construction and deforestation have stripped the soil of vegetation. The risk of mudslides increases without tree roots holding the soil in place.

Yan’an is part of the Loess Pateau, known for its loose, sandy soil deposited by wind.