Death toll rises to 31 in SE China landslides
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 9, 2016
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| Rescuers search for signs of life at the landslide site in Taining County, southeast China's Fujian Province, May 9, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] |
The death toll has risen to 31 and 7 people remain missing after a landslide hit Taining County in southeast China's Fujian Province on Sunday, local authorities announced Monday afternoon.
As of 4 p.m., 31 bodies had been found at the scene, according to the official website of the local government.
The landslide occurred at about 5 a.m. on Sunday in Taining County, where about 100,000 cubic meters of mud and rocks flowed downhill, burying a temporary shed at a hydropower station construction site and damaging its offices.
Heavy rain has made rescue work more difficult, and according to Zheng Guoen, deputy head of the provincial drought and flood control office, residents in the area need to be evacuated soon to avoid more geological disasters.
Armed police arrived at the site around 5 p.m. Sunday and joined existing rescuers to search those still missing.
Rescuers are also working to clear the roads leading to the landslide site after multiple cave-ins.
Boulders, mud and twisted steel bars are scattered around the landslide site. Sniffer dogs are working alongside over 600 rescuers to help detect any signs of life from the debris. Dozens of excavators are digging through the pile.
Dozens of ambulances and army vehicles are on standby should anyone are uncovered from the debris.
Intermittent rainfalls have complicated the rescue efforts. Authorities said precipitation in Taining is 35 percent higher than historical average since this year. In the 24 hours ending 11 a.m. Sunday, precipitation has hit up to 215.7 mm in parts of Taining, triggering landslide.
"We were still asleep when the mountains began to jolt very strongly and before we know it, sand and mud are flowing into our room," said Deng Chunwu, who survived the landslide by hiding underneath a supporting pole along with three other people in their work camp.
Deng added that their room has been pushed 10 meters further by the flowing mud.
"It's been raining all the time over the past couple of days and I didn't think it was a big deal," Deng said. "But the rain last night was more fierce than ever."
Deng and his roommates were sent to hospital at 9 a.m. Sunday. One of them was critically injured. All those treated in hospital are in stable condition, according to doctors.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged maximum efforts to ensure a speedy rescue mission. Premier Li Keqiang issued a written instruction calling for full efforts to search for and rescue those missing in the landslide and to treat the injured.
Torrential rainfall hit much of eastern and southern China over the weekend.
China is poised for a major flood year. The world's largest hydropower project, Three Gorges Reservoir, on China's longest river, the Yangtze, recorded inflow of 17,800 cubic meters per second on Sunday, the highest since 1992.
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