A spokesman for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command on Thursday criticized the United States for hyping up a transit made by a U.S. guided-missile destroyer in the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.
Shi Yi, the spokesman, said the PLA Eastern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to monitor and remain on high alert throughout the transit made by USS William P. Lawrence, handling the situation in accordance with the law effectively.
He criticized that relevant U.S. statements about the transit have distorted facts, misinterpreted legal principles, and attempted to mislead international perception.
He said the Chinese side sternly urged the U.S. side to stop its distortion and hype and contribute to the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
PLA slams US hype over warship's Taiwan Strait transit
PLA slams US hype over warship's Taiwan Strait transit
PLA slams US hype over warship's Taiwan Strait transit
The death toll from a landfill collapse in the central Philippine city of Cebu has risen to eight by Monday morning as search and rescue operations continued for another 28 missing people.
The landfill collapse occurred on Thursday as dozens of sanitation workers were working at the site. The disaster has already caused injuries of 18 people.
Family members of the missing people said the rescue progress is slow, and the hope for the survival of their loved ones is fading.
"For me, maybe I’ve accepted the worst result already because the garbage is poisonous and yesterday, it was raining very hard the whole day. Maybe they’ve been poisoned. For us, alive or dead, I hope we can get their bodies out of the garbage rubble," said Maria Kareen Rubin, a family member of a victim.
Families have set up camps on high ground near the landfill, awaiting news of their relatives. Some people at the site said cries for help could still be heard hours after the landfill collapsed, but these voices gradually faded away.
Bienvenido Ranido, who lost his wife in the disaster, said he can't believe all that happened.
"After they gave my wife oxygen, my kids and I were expecting that she would be saved that night because she was still alive. But the night came and till the next morning, they didn't manage to save her," he said.
Death toll in central Philippine landfill collapse rises to eight
