YICHANG, Hubei - A landslide on Tuesday destroyed a hydropower station, blocked a highway and forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 residents in central China's Hubei Province, local authorities reported on Wednesday.

The landslide occurred at about 1:20 pm in Zigui County, after days of intense rain. About 8 million cubic meters of soil and rock leveled the Daling Hydropower Station, cutting the electricity supply to 16 villages, Zigui county government told Xinhua.

Later, 429 villagers and 524 students and teachers from a nearby school were evacuated and have been housed in tents, with access to food and water.

China has been subjected to many landslides in recent weeks, caused by rain and mining activities. On Monday, a landslide hit a coal mine in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, burying 12 miners.

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