BEIJING — In Sichuan province, located in southwestern China, emergency response teams worked diligently on Sunday to locate 28 missing individuals following a deadly landslide. The incident, triggered by heavy rains, claimed one life and resulted in numerous homes being buried.
On Saturday, nearly 1,000 rescue personnel were dispatched to the village of Jinping in Junlian County. These teams navigated through the debris of collapsed structures, employing drones and life-detection technology to search for survivors, while also enlisting the aid of local residents who were familiar with the area, as reported by state broadcaster CCTV.
As part of the rescue effort, two injured individuals were successfully saved, and approximately 360 others were evacuated from the vicinity after ten homes and a manufacturing facility were engulfed by the landslide, according to CCTV.
During a press conference on Sunday, officials provided initial assessments which indicated that the disaster was primarily due to the combination of heavy rainfall and specific local geological conditions. These factors resulted in a landslide that evolved into a debris flow stretching over 1.2 kilometers (more than half a mile) and containing an estimated volume of more than 100,000 cubic meters (3.5 million cubic feet).
The ongoing rescue operations faced challenges from persistent rainfall and the threat of additional landslides. Preliminary evaluations suggested that the area affected by the disaster was approximately the size of 16 football fields, with many residences swept away by the fast-moving debris.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong visited the scene to oversee the rescue efforts and meet with the impacted residents, as reported by the official news agency Xinhua. He highlighted the potential risks posed by the surrounding slopes, calling for a thorough scientific evaluation to ensure the safety of the rescue operations and to avert further calamities, according to Xinhua.
In a response to the disaster, the Chinese government has allocated 80 million yuan (around $11 million) to assist in relief and recovery operations. Landslides, frequently caused by heavy rainfall or unsafe construction practices, have been a recurring issue in China, with a significant landslide last year in the mountainous region of Yunnan leading to dozens of fatalities.
