A new landslide hit Zhouqu county in northwest China's Gansu Province Wednesday afternoon, but there were no casualties, local authorities said.

The 12,000-cubic-meter-landslide came from the south hill in Zhouqu at 4:00 PM, destroying three houses and leaving another 26 houses in danger, an official at the county's government said.

All residents had been evacuated before the landslide struck, the official said.

Local government officials said they found the earth on the hill had loosened last week, and had evacuated the residents in advance.

There was no heavy rain in the past two days, the official added.

The county government is investigating the cause of the landside.

A massive mudslide triggered by rainstorms slammed Zhouqu on Aug. 8, leaving 1,471 dead, 294 missing and more than 15,000 homeless.

(Xinhua News Agency October 7, 2010)