BEIJING (AP) - Emergency teams in China’s southwestern Sichuan province are intensively working to locate 28 individuals reported missing following a devastating rain-triggered landslide that struck the village of Jinping in Junlian County on Saturday. The landslide resulted in one confirmed death and buried multiple homes, presenting significant rescue challenges.
Nearly 1,000 personnel have been mobilized, including armed police, firefighters, and medical professionals, to undertake the rescue efforts. State broadcaster CCTV reported that rescue teams faced difficult conditions as they navigated the debris of collapsed structures. To enhance their search capabilities, officials employed drones and life-detection radar technology, collaborating closely with local experts familiar with the geographical layout of the area.
During the ongoing rescue operation, teams successfully rescued two injured individuals and evacuated approximately 360 others from their homes. The landslide obliterated ten houses and a manufacturing facility, underscoring the extensive impact of the disaster, as reported by CCTV.
At a news conference on Sunday, authorities provided preliminary assessments attributing the landslide to the effects of recent heavy rainfall combined with local geological conditions. These factors contributed to a transition of the landslide into a debris flow, resulting in a substantial accumulation of debris that spanned approximately 1.2 kilometers (over half a mile) in length and contained over 100,000 cubic meters (around 3.5 million cubic feet) of material.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong visited the site of the landslide to oversee the rescue operations and to meet with the affected residents. He emphasized the importance of making every possible effort to locate the missing individuals, as reported by the official news agency Xinhua. Liu also highlighted concerns regarding the stability of the surrounding slopes, which continue to pose collapse risks. He called for scientific assessments to ensure the safety of ongoing rescue efforts and to prevent further disasters.
The Chinese government has allocated 80 million yuan (approximately $11 million) to support disaster relief and recovery initiatives in the affected areas. Landslides are a recurring issue in China, frequently triggered by heavy rainfall or unsafe construction practices. The previous year, another devastating landslide in a remote region of Yunnan province resulted in numerous fatalities, illustrating the persistent dangers such geological events pose.
The ongoing rescue efforts in Sichuan are a testament to the challenges faced by emergency teams in the aftermath of natural disasters, reflecting both the immediate and long-term implications such events have on communities and regions in China.
