Thaindian News

ZHOUQU, CHINA (BNO NEWS) — At least 127 people were killed on early Sunday when rain-triggered mudslides devastated a county in northwest China, state-run media and government officials reported. More than 1,000 others remain missing.

The landslides, triggered by heavy rainfall and mud-rock flows, happened around midnight local time in Zhouqu County of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in the country’s Gansu Province. Scores of homes were buried by the landslides, and more than half of the county was submerged in water and mud.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao quickly flew to Zhouqu County to coordinate rescue work in the area, which is located in a remote mountainous area and has a population of nearly 135,000. Power, roads and communication were severely affected.

Soon after the landslides hit, at around 1 a.m. local time, a barrier lake was formed on the Bailong River which runs through the county, engulfing buildings along the riverbank. A State Council meeting noted that the barrier lake should be tackled quickly in order to gradually discharge water from it.

The barrier lake is 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long, 100 meters (328 feet) wide and 9 meters (29 feet) deep, according to officials. Two helicopters carrying demolition experts were sent to the barrier lake at around 6.30 a.m. local time to make plans to eventually blow up debris that currently blocks the Bailong River’s flow.

The state-run Xinhua news agency reported that eight work groups have been established to focus on efforts to save lives, clear slit, geological disaster surveying, relocation, infrastructure repair and public health.

As of early Monday morning, authorities confirmed at least 127 people had been killed as a result of the landslides. Nearly 1,300 others remain missing, which is significantly lower from the 2,000 reported missing initially.

It is not known if those who are said to be missing were simply unaccounted for, or if they remain trapped as a result of the landslides that buried scores of homes. At least 76 people were reported to be injured, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It said it had raised the national disaster relief response level to level 2, the second highest level.

In some areas, sludge as thick as two meters (6.5 feet) spread over roads, making ground transportation in the area difficult. In Yueyuan Village, more than 300 homes were said to have been buried. It was not clear how many people had been killed there.

In Chengguan Township, the county seat, the mud-rock flow leveled an area about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) long and 500 meters (0.3 mile) wide.

“Torrential rains began to fall at around 10 p.m. Saturday,” said Diemujiangteng, head of the county, according to Xinhua. “Then there were mudslides and many people became trapped. Now sludge has become the biggest hindrance to rescue operations. It’s too thick to walk or drive through.”

He Youxin, a police officer who is working at the scene, said excavators are not able to reach the site. “We can only use spades and our hands to rescue the buried,” he said.

His rescue team has saved 23 people and recovered 15 bodies. But, “It’s very hard to locate the people washed away by floods. It’s hard to say what their chances of survival are,” he said.

The Ministry of Public Security in a statement said it had organized about 1,630 firefighters and police officers in surrounding areas to head for the affected region and assist in ongoing rescue work. It also ordered officers to assist in traffic control at major roads in the landslides-hit area, some of which were still submerged with one to two meters (3 to 6 feet) of sludge.

More than 600 soldiers sent by the PLA Lanzhou Military Area Command arrived in the county on Sunday. “We haven’t found any trapped people,” said Pu Junli, head of a 60-strong advance force, to Xinhua.

China’s Air Force also sent aid to the area, including three helicopters, two air-mapping planes and a cargo transport plane from Beijing. Ten more cargo planes are ready to be sent to the airport in Tianshui city, the nearest to Zhouqu.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs reported that 3,090 tents, 1,300 cotton quilts, 16,370 cartons of bottled water, along with instant noodles and cakes have arrived in Zhouqu County as of early Monday.

Additionally, at least 200 generators, 100,000 candles and 10,000 flashlights are expected to be delivered by Monday afternoon. Some 5,000 small tents, 200 large tents, 20,000 cotton coats, 8,000 folding beds and 5,000 sleeping bags are also expected to arrive.

The Red Cross Society of China is also assisting in the rescue operations, and sent more than 320,000 yuan (47,000 USD) worth of aid through its local branch. This includes 2,000 cotton quilts and 400 family aid kits that include clothes, tableware and thin quilts.

The country’s Ministry of Health said in a statement that it dispatched a team of 13 experts to the area to supervise local medical and epidemic prevention work. Four medical teams with some 180 members have also been sent from neighboring provinces.

Han Fu, the country’s Minister of Agriculture, said some 3,000 acres of crops had been destroyed by the landslides. Han said more than 10,000 livestock had also been swept away.

The Ministry directed, as part of an initial emergency response, to send 80 tonnes of disinfectant, 2,000 sets of sanitizing equipment and 20,000 sets of protective clothing to the disaster area.

Han also established an animal disease expert group to help carry out disinfection, decontamination and assist in the disposal of dead animals. The group has also been instructed to develop post-disaster programs to prevent the outbreak of disease among animals.

While the heavy rainfall has petered out since the landslides happened on early Sunday, forecasters predict that heavy rain will hit the same area on Tuesday and Wednesday. This additionally rainfall could possibly trigger new landslides in the disaster area.