And in Jiangxi province, five died from buildings collapsing, two in mudslides and one by a lightning strike, it said. In July last year a single mudslide triggered by days of heavy rain killed at least 14 people in two villages in the southwestern province of Yunnan.
Synonyms of group: crowd, company, party, band, troop | Collins English Thesaurus
With collective nouns (like council, staff, couple, etc.) use a singular verb when thinking of the group members as a unit. The council is one of the nation's best. Use a plural verb when thinking of the group members as individuals.