BEIJING, Aug 8: At least 17 people have died and 33 others are missing in torrents and landslides in China in the last 48 hours, according to official media. President Xi Jinping has urged all-out search and rescue efforts, flood prevention and disaster relief work after mountain torrents hit northwest Gansu province on Thursday.
In Guangzhou, seven people died and seven others injured following a rain-triggered landslide, trapping 14 people and damaging multiple houses.
On-site cleanup work is ongoing, along with geological hazard risk assessments in affected and surrounding areas. Safety inspections and evaluations of residential buildings will also be carried out to support follow-up work.
In Gansu, torrential rain pounded Yuzhong and other areas of Lanzhou, with the maximum precipitation reaching 220.2 mm by noon Friday. Flood waters mixed with uprooted trees blocked roads with mud deposits, and the torrents also damaged several houses and vehicles.
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, infrastructure repairs, and evacuation and resettlement of affected residents are underway. (AP)
