Rescue efforts underway for 28 missing after landslide in SW China

One person has been found dead, two have been injured, and 28 remain missing after a landslide struck Jinping Village, Junlian County in Yibin City, southwest China's Sichuan Province around 11:50 a.m. Beijing Time on Saturday, local authorities told media at a press conference on Sunday morning.

The landslide has not yet stabilized, and the number of those missing is still being verified.

According to preliminary assessment, continuous rainfall and geological conditions have transformed the landslide into debris flows stretching approximately 1.2 kilometers, with a total volume of over 100,000 cubic meters.

More than 200 residents have been evacuated, and a makeshift shelter was set up at a school, said local officials, adding that an emergency dining spot is now operative.

The authorities said at the press conference that thirty emergency generators, 100 cotton tents, 400 disaster relief beds, and 1,100 quilts have been distributed to guarantee the basic living needs of the displaced people.

By 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, local authorities had mobilized a comprehensive rescue force of 949 personnel, including emergency rescue teams, armed police, firefighters, public security officers, transportation workers, medical staff, communications experts and electricity technicians. They deployed rescue equipment, such as excavators, fire engines and ambulances, to conduct on-site operations.

According to authorities, some 50 million yuan (about $6.8 million), allocated by the National Development and Reform Commission from the central budget, will be used to restore infrastructure and public facilities in the affected areas.

Also on Saturday, the Ministry of Finance, in conjunction with the Ministry of Emergency Management, allocated 30 million yuan from the central natural disaster relief funds to support Sichuan in its rapid organization of rescue efforts.

The ministry said the funds will be spent on search and rescue work, risk assessment, emergency response measures, and investigating potential secondary-disaster hazards to minimize casualties.

Following the landslide, the Ministry of Emergency Management launched a Level III emergency geological disaster response. Meanwhile, China's national disaster prevention, reduction and relief commission activated a Level IV national disaster relief emergency response.

(With input from Xinhua)