Rescue efforts are underway after continuous heavy rain triggered mountain torrents in Yuzhong County, northwest China's Gansu Province, leaving 10 dead and 33 missing as of 15:30 Friday, local authorities said.
Torrential rain began pounding Yuzhong, which is under the jurisdiction of the provincial capital city of Lanzhou, and other areas of Lanzhou on Thursday evening, with the maximum precipitation reaching 220.2 mm by noon Friday.
Several towns in Yuzhong have been seriously affected.
At about 14:00 Friday, floodwater mixed with uprooted trees blocking the roads near Xinglong Primary School in Chengguan Town, with mud deposits more than 30 cm deep in some sections.
Along the roadside, many vehicles lay damaged, while furniture from the ground floors of some houses had been swept to their doorsteps.
The ground floor of a local hotel was submerged by floodwater, leaving more than 200 tourists and staff members stranded inside. Local authorities dispatched emergency teams to the scene rapidly.
At about 09:00, the downpour eased slightly, allowing rescuers and equipment to stream in continuously.
At approximately 10:30, a bridge to the hotel was reopened after rescuers cleared the debris with machines.
Within half an hour, all those people had been safely escorted off the premises.
More than 2,700 rescue personnel have been dispatched by provincial authorities, along with 980 vehicles and pieces of machinery, and 8,530 sets of emergency supplies.
Search and rescue efforts for the missing, infrastructure repairs, and the evacuation and resettlement of affected residents are underway.
Chinese President Xi Jinping gave instructions on the rescue and relief work after the disaster, demanding all-out efforts to find missing people.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made important instructions and set out the priorities for the emergency response, urging using every possible means to search for the missing and evacuate the people at risk.
He called for efforts to minimize casualties and restore communications and road access as soon as possible.
Premier Li Qiang also instructed that every effort should be made to search for and rescue the missing victims, and for emergency rescue operations to proceed at full strength. He noted that damaged communications and transportation facilities should be repaired quickly, and that affected residents be evacuated and resettled promptly.
China's national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief on Friday initiated a Level-IV emergency response in Gansu, dispatching a work group to the site to guide local authorities in the search-and-rescue efforts including guaranteeing the basic living needs of the affected.
Rescue underway after mountain torrents leave 10 dead, 33 missing in northwest China's Gansu
