Spring blooms boost tourism in China

Flower-viewing tourism has taken off this spring as bounteous blooms bend branches in southwest China.

Tens of thousands of hectares of rapeseed flowers have enlightened the fields with a splash of dazzling yellow colors in Luoping County of southwest China's Yunnan Province. The golden sea of rapeseed flowers, set against green hills, offers a stunning backdrop for spring outings, beckoning tourists to witness nature's stunning spectacle.

"I came from Shanghai. The rapeseed flowers here are so beautiful. They took my breath away," said Chen Hongjuan, a tourist.

To enhance the tourist experience, Luoping County has introducing diverse flower-viewing methods, such as riding small trains or electric vehicles and hiking on wooden walkways.

According to data from the local culture and tourism department, since the rapeseed flowers there have entered the blooming season, Luoping has seen 1.35 million visitor trips, which has given a strong boost to the local catering and accommodation sectors.

"Since February, our restaurant has been receiving about 600 guests daily. On busy days, the number can reach around 800 and we can receive a maximum of over ten tour groups in a day," said Yang Liu, a restaurant owner.

Meanwhile, bare branches of plum trees in Dazhou City, Sichuan Province, are now covered with tightly packed clusters of plum flowers, bringing a burst of vitality to the spring season and intriguing countless visitors with the floral fragrance.

Using the spring blossoms as a medium, the local government has also launched various cultural and creative products, special foods, and agricultural products, allowing tourists to experience the unique rural tourism while enjoying the flowers.

Spring blooms boost tourism in China

A large number of rescuers are racing against time to save survivors from the rubble in La Guaira state, the worst-hit region by the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday.

The twin quakes, measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, struck central Venezuela less than a minute apart on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said Saturday that the death toll from the quakes had risen to 1,430, with 3,238 people injured and 3,142 families affected by the disaster.

La Guaira has been placed under military control. Access roads to the coastal state have been strictly restricted to emergency vehicles only, with civilian traffic barred to ensure unimpeded passage for rescue convoys, military trucks, and volunteer aid groups.

In one of the most dramatic scenes of destruction, an eight-story hotel with over 100 guest rooms in La Guaira has almost entirely collapsed, with only the entrance structure standing amid the debris.

Heavy machinery and a large number of rescuers are working at the site, where an estimated 20 to 30 people are believed to be trapped beneath the ruins -- most of them hotel staff.

"We estimate that 20 to 30 people are still trapped under the rubble. The number is significant. We also need to recover the deceased as quickly as possible," said a local official.

Authorities have called on the public to avoid traveling to the disaster zone to prevent clogging rescue routes, which are vital for delivering supplies and transferring the wounded to hospitals.

Rescuers race against time to save lives in Venezuela's La Guaira after devastating earthquake