Investigation of Landslides that Occurred in August on the Chengdu–Kunming Railway, Sichuan, China

Abstract

This paper reports on a large-scale landslide with a movement of 48 thousand m3 of soil and rock that occurred in Sichuan, China. This catastrophic landslide occurred in Aidai village, Ganluo County, at 12:44 on 14 August 2019, blocking a section of the railway between Lianghong station and Aidai station. This landslide resulted in 12 deaths and five people missing. This report describes the preliminary investigation, the rescue activity, topographic survey and analysis as well as the main predisposing and triggering factors. The combined effects of steep topography, continuous rainstorms, floods eroding the foothills of the mountain and human activity were the main influencing factors that triggered this landslide. To reduce the possibility of casualties resulting from large geological disasters, such as landslides and mudslides, in this region in the future, some recommendations are proposed to systematically reduce potential human casualties and economic losses.