Images and video on social media showed a flood of dirt engulfing low-rise buildings and upending construction vehicles as if they were toy cars. At least four people were pulled from the rubble, three with minor injuries, the local government said. A section of a major pipeline that transports natural gas from China’s west exploded as the landslide struck, Xinhua reported.

In the hours after the accident, China’s government-controlled news media placed great emphasis on the concern felt by senior officials, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. Such expressions of concern appeared to reflect a newfound sensitivity on the part of the leadership after a series of deadly accidents highlighted the downside of the nation’s breakneck economic growth.