Rescue workers and volunteers have collaborated together and employed more detection and illumination devices to overcome difficulties caused by rain and fog on Sunday as they raced against time to save lives and minimize damage following a landslide in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The landslide occurred at 11:50 on Saturday in Jinping Village, Junlian County in the city of Yibin. Landslide recovery operations were hampered by rain and fog as of Sunday, as rescue teams continued searching for survivors. As of 11:00 Sunday, the landslide had left one person dead, 28 missing and two injured.
A total of 89 officers from the Sichuan Provincial Corps of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force (PAPF) have been working in the landslide-hit village since the disaster happened, helping evacuate people.
"We, the Yibin detachment, were divided into groups nine and 10 and carried out rescue operations in the area where we are responsible for. On Sunday morning, we discovered a body after searching for four hours. We will continue to seize every second to work to improve the survival rate, especially within 72 hours," said Yang Chao, an officer with the Sichuan Provincial Corps.
A total of 360 people from Jinping Village were evacuated to a middle school in Junlian County. They were provided with temporary shelters and supplies including water, instant noodles, and vegetables. Local officials also kept delivering supplies to the village for everyone, especially for rescue personnel, and volunteers who were there ready to help.
"The landslide is just on the opposite side of my house, and my house still has electricity power, and water, so I volunteered it as a temporary logistic base. Once there is a disaster, we should be ready to help," said Mao Junchao a villager of Jinping Village.
"I always like being a volunteer as I feel happy when helping others. I arrived in the village at 04:00 on Sunday, and I helped carry supplies for people," said Xia Yu, a volunteer.
The rescue team deployed detection drones to scan the entire area affected by the landslide for signs of life. "This equipment is called a magnetic anomaly detection device. It works by detecting the differences in magnetic forces between objects, which allows it to locate whether there is a space where someone can survive beneath the ground, and then help find people," said Ruan Zhen, an official with the Shanghai Fire Research Institute affiliated with the Ministry of Emergency Management.
Several lighting vehicles deployed by the Armed Police can provide extended, wide-area illumination across the entire search and rescue zone, offering maximum support for rescue operations during the night.
"Our lighting vehicle has a wide illumination range and long battery life. It can provide lighting for 24 hours, ensuring continuous lighting support for rescue missions throughout the night," said Ou Juntao, an officer with the 2nd Mobile Contingent of the PAPF.
Local authorities said the landslide resulted from the continuous rainfall and unique local geographical conditions, and rescue missions will continue despite challenges.
Rescuers race against time for survivors after Sichuan landslide
