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May 9, 2016

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Mudslide leaves 41 people trapped

Source: Agencies | May 9, 2016, Monday | Print Edition

FORTY-ONE people have been reported missing after a massive mudslide engulfed workers’ living quarters at an under-construction hydropower plant in southeast China’s Fujian Province early yesterday.

More than 400 rescuers have been dispatched to search for the missing workers, after an estimated 100,000 cubic meters of rocks and mud buried a living area at the site in the mountainous Taining County about 5am, the local publicity department said in a statement on its website.

The China Central Television reported that seven workers had been rescued alive, though they had suffered various injuries, including broken bones.

As of last night, rescue teams had detected suspected signs of life at three locations, CCTV said.

Efforts to access certain areas of the site, however, were hampered by further mudslides and flooding, which had made several roads unpassable for heavy machinery.

A rescue team from the armed police force carrying essential equipment and life detectors arrived at the site. Experts from Beijing and east China’s Hefei City were also dispatched to join the rescue effort, CCTV said.

President Xi Jinping has called for every effort to be made in the search for the missing workers. He also demanded proper treatment for those injured in the incident, and issued his best wishes and sympathies to their relatives.

Xi also urged local officials to conduct thorough monitoring and safety checks to protect against secondary disasters.

Meanwhile, Premier Li Keqiang issued an instruction calling for maximum effort to find and rescue the missing workers and for the proper treatment of the injured.

He also told the Ministry of Land and Resources to take the lead on the matter, and form and dispatch a work team under the State Council to oversee the rescue effort in Fujian.

Heavy rains have drenched much of eastern and southern China since Wednesday, triggering floods and landslides.

The landslide in the scenic county of Taining was triggered by a heavy downpour that unleashed more than 19 centimeters of rain in 24 hours starting on Saturday.

The local tourism administration ordered all scenic spots to suspend business at 8am.

Further inland, Chongqing Municipality and Hubei Province have also been hit by heavy downpours accompanied by strong winds and hailstorms. Thousands of people at risk of flooding and landslides have been evacuated.

China is poised for a major flood year. The world’s largest hydropower project, the Three Gorges Reservoir, on China’s longest river the Yangtze, recorded inflow of 17,800 cubic meters per second yesterday, the highest since 1992.

Deadly landslides are not uncommon in China. In December, a slide in the southern commercial hub of Shenzhen caused by the improper storage of waste killed at least 58 people, with 25 still yet to be found.

The government blamed breaches of construction safety rules for the disaster and a number of officials have been arrested.

Nation


 

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