In Taiwan, a large rockslide last month, the Wanlixi landslide, has blocked a river, creating a barrier lake with a volume of about 6 million cubic metres. In Taiwan, a large landslide has blocked the Wanli river in Hualien County. The hazard is being actively monitored by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, who are […]
Dave Petley
Landslide Exposure in the United States
A new study provides a fascinating insight into the patterns of landslide exposure in the United States. The increased focus in recent years on the socio-economic aspects of landslides has been welcome. This area of understanding has lagged behind that for other hazards, possibly in part because of the lack on interest from the insurance […]
Fatal landslides in June 2026
In June 2026 I recorded 48 fatal landslides causing 131 fatalities. 2026 continues to be atypical in terms of the temporal pattern of fatal landslides. This is my regular update for the number of fatal global landslides, focusing on June 2026. As usual, this data has been collected in line with the methodology described in Froude […]
The 17-21 May 2026 landslides in Shimen County, Hunan, China
Satellite images show two very large landslides and multiple smaller failures, and channelised debris flows, in Shimen County in China. In China, this year rainy season started with an intense event that covered the provinces of Guizhou, Hubei and Hunan in the period between 17 and 21 May 2026. There were some news reports at […]
Reactivation of the Mauao landslide in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand
A significant reactivation occurred over the weekend of the 22 January 2026 Mauao landslide in Tauranga. Loyal readers will remember my posts on the Mauao landslide in Mount Maunganui in New Zealand on 22 January 2026, which killed six people. Over the weekend, heavy rainfall caused the landslide to reactivate. Fortunately, in this case there […]
Fatal landslides in May 2026
In May 2026 I recorded 51 fatal landslides causing 185 fatalities. 2026 is proving to be atypical in terms of the temporal pattern of fatal landslides. This is my regular update for the number of fatal global landslides, focusing on May 2026. As usual, this data has been collected in line with the methodology described […]
The 17 July 2026 landslide at Hanjia in Chongqing, China
Reports suggest 42 people were killed in a large rockslope failure. Imagery suggests that suspicion will fall on a cutting at the foot of the slope. On Friday 17 July 2026, at 9:08 am local time, a large landslide occurred on the banks of the Wujiang River at Hanjia, located within of Pengshui Miao and […]
The 7 July 2026 Kalladi landslide in Kerala, India
A major landslide triggered by monsoon rainfall killed eight people this week. The failure occurred at the site of works for a new road tunnel – there is speculation that poor handling of excavated materials may have been the cause. Imagery suggests that the event might have been slightly more complex, though. On 7 July […]
The 7 July 2026 landslide at Renzang Village in Longnan City, Gansu Province, China
A major landslide in China yesterday killed 21 forestry workers. Satellite imagery suggests that the slope showed signs of disturbance before the failure. On 7 July 2026, a major landslide struck Renzang Village, which is located in the administrative area of Nanhe Township in Longnan City, Gansu Province, China. Xinhua reports that 33 people were […]
Fatal landslides at the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh
Early in the morning of 6 July 2026, three fatal landslides killed eight people in the refugee camps housing the displaced Rohingya people in Bangladesh. There have long been fears of the potential for fatal landslides in the refugee camps Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh that house the Rohingya people who were ethnically cleansed from Myanmar. […]
