NANCHANG, China: One person has been confirmed dead and 11 others are missing after a mudslide hit a village in Suichuan County, Ji’an City, east China’s Jiangxi Province, at around 4:00 am on Saturday (Sept. 5), local authorities said as reported by Xinhua.
The disaster was triggered by days of torrential rain brought by Typhoon Saudel, according to the county’s flood control and drought relief headquarters.
Two other people have been rescued and are in stable condition. All-out search and rescue operations are underway, while efforts continue to relocate affected residents and prevent secondary disasters.
As of 10:00 pm, more than 640 rescuers had arrived at the site to conduct search and rescue operations, according to the county’s flood control and drought relief headquarters.
The first batch of firefighters equipped with life detectors, drones and sniffer dogs arrived at the site at 11:00 am after taking a route over the mountains, as the road leading to the village had been damaged.
So far, 39 villagers have been evacuated to safety. In neighbouring areas, more than 5,300 people have been relocated to guard against potential disasters.
Workers are still repairing the road leading to the village and power lines. Telecommunications services have been restored.
Following the disaster, the Jiangxi provincial committee for disaster prevention, mitigation and relief issued a Level III provincial emergency response for disaster relief at noon on Saturday, as Typhoon Saudel had affected around 161,500 residents in the province.
China’s Natural Resources Ministry raised its geological disaster response level for Jiangxi from Level IV to Level III at 11:00 am on Saturday and dispatched a work team to the site to guide rescue efforts.
The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Emergency Management Ministry activated a Level IV national emergency response for natural disaster relief, and sent a work team and an emergency survey team equipped with equipment including slope radar to assist with rescue operations.
The National Development and Reform Commission on Saturday allocated 20 million yuan (USD2.95 million) from central natural disaster relief funds to support emergency rescue and disaster relief work in Jiangxi.
The funds will be used to reconstruct damaged infrastructure, including roads and water conservancy facilities, as well as public service facilities such as schools and hospitals, with a view to restoring normal production and daily life in the affected areas as soon as possible.
China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe. – BERNAMA-XINHUA
