BEIJING, July 17 (Xinhua) -- China activated a Level-II national emergency response for geological disasters after a landslide struck southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, causing houses to collapse and leaving people trapped, the Ministry of Emergency Management said Friday.
The geological disaster saw massive amounts of rock and soil wash downslope at 9:08 a.m. Friday, burying more than 10 residential buildings, leaving local residents trapped and unaccounted for. Nine people have so far been rescued, and none of them sustained life-threatening injuries, according to local authorities of Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County in Chongqing.
A ministry official led a work team to the site to guide rescue and emergency response operations.
The ministry ordered rescuers to make every effort to search for those trapped, quickly ascertain the number of people trapped, carry out rescue operations in a scientific manner and guard against secondary disasters.
It dispatched 100 professional rescuers from a natural disaster rescue center operated by China Anneng Group, along with rescue equipment. A total of 206 personnel and 49 vehicles from China's national comprehensive fire and rescue service were also deployed to 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. ■
