Due to a mountain landslide, traffic on a railway linking southwest China's Yunnan and Guizhou provinces has ceased temporarily.

Local sources said a serious mountain landslide occurred around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday at a village close to Qujing, the eastern part of Yunnan, and buried a section of the railway.

Officials with the railway administration said the landslide, made up of an area of over 1,000 square meters and some 250 meters of railway was buried.

So far, steps are being taken to remove the dirt and clear the railway section while railway passengers take detours by rail to reach their destination or use alternate means of transportation. The railway station in Kunming, capital of the province, is running in good order.

Officials assume that the railway is likely to resume operation Friday.

(Xinhua 06/28/2001)