President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to search for and rescue the missing and minimize casualties following a devastating landslide in Yibin, Sichuan province, on Saturday.
He made the instruction after the landslide struck Jinping village of Junlian county in Yibin at around 11:50 am on Saturday, burying 10 houses. The disaster left one person dead, two injured and 28 missing as of 11 am on Sunday.
Xi also stressed the need to enhance disaster monitoring and early warning, ensure that rescue work is carried out scientifically, and prevent secondary disasters.
READ MORE: Xi orders all-out rescue of people buried in Sichuan landslide
In a separate instruction, Premier Li Qiang has urged efforts to rescue the trapped, examine potential geological hazards in surrounding areas, transfer those who are at risk to safe places and guard against secondary risks.
Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong, who has led a team to Sichuan to guide the rescue work, underscored the importance of using advanced rescue and monitoring methods, and asked the rescue forces to ensure safety in their operations.
Efforts should also be made to provide comfort to the families of the victims and the missing, and ensure the basic needs and medical services for those who have been relocated, he said.
Sichuan upgraded its emergency response for geological disasters from Level III to Level I, the highest response level in a three-tier system, on Saturday afternoon.
The Ministry of Emergency Management initiated a Level III emergency response for geological disasters, while the National Commission for Disaster Reduction activated a Level IV national disaster emergency response.
As of 11 am on Sunday, 949 rescuers, along with over 200 sets of emergency equipment, such as excavators, trucks and ambulances, have been deployed in the rescue mission, according to the command center of emergency rescue for the landslide.
Two trapped individuals had been rescued and were out of danger, the command center said. Around 360 residents who were at risk have been relocated and efforts have been made to ensure their basic needs, including food, accommodation and heating, it added.
To support the rescue operations, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management have allocated 30 million yuan ($4.1 million) from central natural disaster relief funds. The National Development and Reform Commission has allocated 50 million yuan from the central budget to help restore infrastructure and public facilities.
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Preliminary analysis indicates that the recent continuous rainfall and geological conditions triggered the landslide, creating a debris flow with a total volume exceeding 100,000 cubic meters and resulting in a 1.2-kilometer-long debris accumulation zone, Xue Qing, executive vice-mayor of Yibin, told a news conference early on Sunday morning.
Zhou Yanfeng, deputy head of the national work safety emergency rescue survey team, who led a team to the site, told China Central Television that the risk of additional landslides is still high due to the incessant rainfall over the past few days.
Zhou said his team had installed geological radars on the mountain opposite the landslide area. The devices can track the mountain's movements and provide real-time monitoring of the landslide area, enabling early warning of potential secondary landslides and ensuring the safety of the rescuers.
Liu Boqian contributed to this story.
Contact the writers at pengchao@chinadaily.com.cn
