A massive landslide rocked an industrial park in China’s southern city Shenzhen on Sunday (Dec. 20), burying 33 buildings and leaving at least 91 people missing by Monday. Authorities said the collapse of a huge mound of soil and construction waste caused the disaster. The landslide might have also led to an explosion along a nearby stretch of natural gas pipeline, state news agency Xinhua reported…[M]ore than 100,000 square meters (1.1 million square feet) of debris [was deposited] at the site, Xinhua reported…

A local company called Lvwei Property Management built the dump area at the site of a stone quarry, and has managed it since 2013, according the national State Administration of Industry and Commerce, Caixin reported. It seems the company knew that landslides were a risk, judging by its January 2015 environmental assessment report. The report, cited by Beijing News…shows the site suffered from soil erosion... Both the entrance and exit of the dump area face the stricken industrial district, which includes housing for workers…

[According to a Chinese-language article, Lvwei Property Management says it had outsourced part of its management work of the area to another company, Yixianglong Investment Development. The said agreement indicates that Yixianglong would be responsible for any major safety incidents. However, a lawyer commented that there is no legal basis for further subcontracting of such projects. Yixianglong Investment Development could not be contacted for comment, according to the article.]