Two separate landslides struck Changshi and Guowa towns in Dafang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province on Thursday, leaving two people dead and 19 others trapped, according to local authorities.
The landslides hit Changshi at 03:00 and Guowa at 09:00. Two people were trapped in Changshi and were later confirmed dead after their bodies were recovered.
Another 19 residents involving eight households in Qingyang Village of Guowa were trapped, according to preliminary assessments by local authorities.
Police officers, emergency responders and firefighters rushed to the affected areas to carry out search and rescue operations. 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.
The Ministry of Emergency Management promptly activated a Level-IV emergency response to geological disasters and has dispatched a working team to the site 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.
2 dead, 19 trapped in Guizhou landslides
An Algerian expert and a Uruguayan official criticized Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for her wrongful remarks that exposed Japan's ambitions for military expansion, which is endangering regional and international order.
At a Diet meeting in early November, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese central authorities' "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, which drew strong criticism worldwide.
Smail Debeche, president of Algeria-China Friendship Association, said Japan should end its attempts to expand military power as it did during World War II.
"I think the wrongful remarks made by the Japanese side are not in the interests of Japan itself and the Japanese people. It is irrational and illogical to make such statements. After World War II, Japan should have shouldered its corresponding responsibilities and obligations. However, instead of deeply deploring its war past and earnestly apologizing, Japan seems to be trying to expand its military power in the region and display arrogance, much like in the wartime era. This practice must be stopped," said Debeche.
Leonardo Batalla, who is responsible for international relations at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, said he firmly opposes the interference in China's internal affairs. "Japan's remarks are a provocative act. Japan is a defeated country in World War II. Now, its right-wing forces are attempting to revive the ambitions of the militarist era. Such an approach is detrimental to international relations because it interferes in China's internal affairs," said Batalla.
Int'l experts criticize Japanese PM's wrongful remarks for damaging int'l order
