Village to be relocated after landslide

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GAOPO, China, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- The Chinese government said it will relocate and erect houses for residents whose village of Gaopo was destroyed by a landslide in which 46 were killed.

The landslide in the mountainous region of China's southwest Yunan Province occurred Friday and is thought to have been caused by continual rainfall, Xinhua reported.

"We will relocate 629 residents of the village of Gaopo (approximately 1 mile) away from where the landslide happened," said Chen Xiangjin, vice secretary of the Zhenxiong County Committee of the Communist Party of China, adding that distance and safety were major factors in the relocation plans.

Prefabricated houses will be built before completion of the new village, which will take around six months, Chen said.

Some of the villagers went to stay with relatives and friends in other villages, but more than 500 were moved to makeshift tents because of the danger that the landslide could trigger secondary damage to their homes, Xinhua reported.

Villagers affected by the landslide will receive a daily subsidy of $2 for the next three months, Chen said.