Rescue efforts underway after landslide hits China's Chongqing

Rescue efforts have been underway after a landslide struck Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Friday.

The geological disaster saw massive amounts of rock and soil wash downslope at 09:08 (01:08 GMT) on Friday, burying more than 10 residential buildings, while leaving some local residents trapped and unaccounted for.

Ten people had been rescued as of 14:00. All of those rescued are in stable condition with no life-threatening injuries, while more than 1,100 residents living in the vicinity of the disaster site have been evacuated to safety, according to local authorities.

To facilitate risk investigation and prevent secondary hazards, supplies of water, electricity and gas within a 1-kilometer radius around the affected area have been temporarily suspended. Over 800 rescuers are carrying out search and rescue operations at the site.

The National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief activated a Level-IV national disaster relief emergency response and sent a work team to assess the situation and assist local authorities in ensuring the basic living needs of affected residents.

The commission's office and the ministry, together with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, allocated 8,000 items of central disaster relief supplies to Chongqing, including tents, folding beds and family emergency kits.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management, meanwhile, have allocated 50 million yuan (7.36 million U.S. dollars) in central government natural disaster relief funds to support emergency rescue and relief operations as well as provide assistance to affected residents.

The funds will prioritize search and rescue efforts, hazard elimination and risk mitigation, inspections for hidden dangers of secondary disasters, relocation and resettlement of displaced people, and repair of damaged or collapsed housing, in order to minimize disaster losses and casualties.

Rescue efforts underway after landslide hits China's Chongqing

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarovic on Monday, who is in China to attend the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen City, east China's Fujian Province.

Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership, Han said that bilateral relations have achieved leapfrog development over recent years under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state. In May this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping met again with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, charting the course for building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era.

China is prepared to join hands with Serbia in implementing the important consensus of the two leaders, cementing political mutual trust, leveraging the preferential arrangements under the bilateral free trade agreement, and deepening cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure and emerging industries, Han said.

China also encourages its enterprises to invest in Serbia and further advance China-Serbia friendly and cooperative relations, he noted.

Mesarovic said Serbia highly values high-level mutual trust between the two countries and reaffirms its adherence to the one-China policy. She expressed gratitude for China's strong support for Serbia's national development and said Serbia is ready to strengthen development synergy with China and continuously deepen cooperation in various fields to benefit the two peoples.

Chinese vice president meets Serbian Deputy Prime Minister