Beijing, May 22 (PTI) Two separate landslides struck Changshi and Guowa townships in Dafang county in southwest China’s Guizhou province on Thursday, trapping 19 persons, local officials said.
Two people were trapped in Changshi, while more than a dozen residents in Qingyang village of Guowa were trapped across six residential buildings involving eight households in the landslides that hit around 3 am and 8 am, respectively, according to preliminary assessments by local authorities.
Policemen, emergency responders and firefighters rushed to the affected areas to carry out search and rescue operations, Xinhua news agency reported.
They are being assisted by sniffer dogs and are equipped with life detectors, drones and relevant tools, among other devices.
Rescue operations in Guowa are being hindered by steep slopes and mountainous terrain.
Guizhou activated a Level II emergency response for geological disasters at 2:30 pm, Xinhua reported.
China’s Ministry of Natural Resources raised its emergency response to geological disasters from Level III to Level II at 11 a.m., and dispatched a working team to the area to guide rescue operations.
The ministry urged swift efforts to verify the situation, carry out search and rescue operations, and also guard against secondary disasters. PTI KJV PY PY
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