Led by a top scientist, home to large technology companies and the site for a new design museum, Shenzhen is the shining example of economic reform and smart city planning in China.

But the deadly landslide that hit the city on Sunday when an enormous rubbish heap collapsed has undermined Shenzhen’s reputation and once again underlined how rapid development in China has all too often been achieved by papering over the cracks in the system.

After preliminary investigations, Chinese officials said the disaster was caused by a “huge amount” of construction waste piled too steeply into a landfill site. Its collapse prompted a terrifying mudslide that swept away buildings, engulfed an industrial zone in metres-deep mud and left more than 70 people missing.