Chinese official kills himself after deadly landslide


One week after a landslide killed at least seven people in the manufacturing hub of Shenzhen, China, the head of the City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau for Shenzhen's Guangming New District has jumped to his death.
The Sunday death of Xu Yuan'an has been ruled a suicide by investigators, Agence France-Presse reports. The landslide was caused when a 330-foot-high mountain of construction waste illegally piled against a hill collapsed after heavy rains; the mud and debris buried dozens of buildings and 75 people are still missing. State media also reports the owner of a gypsum mine in eastern China killed himself on Sunday after a cave-in at the mine resulted in one death and left 17 people trapped.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Prevost elected first US pope, becomes Leo XIV
speed read Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is a Chicago native who spent decades living in Peru
-
'Art is one of humanity's great empathic mediums'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Today's political cartoons - May 9, 2025
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - India-Pakistan tensions, pope hopeful, and more
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read