A vital rescue road leading to the core area of a mudslide-hit village in east China's Jiangxi Province was reopened late Sunday after 15 hours of nonstop emergency repair, clearing the way for heavy machinery and rescue personnel to reach the disaster zone.
The mudslide struck Mingkeng Village in Gaoping Town, Suichuan County of Ji'an City in the early hours of Saturday, following days of torrential rain triggered by Typhoon Saudel.
The disaster washed away the road connecting Mingkeng Village to the hard-hit Shixia group, severing the only access to the core disaster area and hampering rescue efforts.
Repair crews from China Anneng Second Bureau were dispatched to reopen the critical route, working around the clock to clear the debris-laden path.
"We repaired damaged roads all the way up from Tanghu Town. After opening the road from the county seat to Mingkeng Village, we continued clearance work in the core area early on Sunday. We work in two shifts so people rest while the machines keep running," said Yang Xiaowei, an excavator operator with China Anneng Second Bureau.
The operation was fraught with difficulties. Thick mud, reaching up to four meters deep in some sections, combined with heavy water seepage from the mountain and a shortage of construction materials, brought work to a halt at one point.
Following a joint assessment by geological experts and on-site rescue personnel, crews adopted a flexible strategy, sourcing materials locally and carving new routes along the foot of the mountain at the most complex sections.
"We employed a combination of tactics, using locally available materials, deploying multiple machines in relay, diverting river flow, and carrying out excavation and filling simultaneously. Through day-and-night efforts, we reopened the only rescue channel to the core area ahead of schedule, providing solid support for subsequent search and rescue operations," said Cheng Zhanhua, head of the command and control team at China Anneng Second Bureau.
The restored road is expected to significantly shorten the time needed for rescue vehicles, equipment and personnel to reach the disaster site, accelerating the ongoing search operations.
Rescue road cleared in Jiangxi's mudslide-hit Mingkeng Village
