Massive Landslides Hit China’s Guizhou, Rescue Teams Race To Save 19 Trapped

<p>Beijing: Two separate landslides struck Changshi and Guowa townships in Dafang county in southwest China’s Guizhou province on Thursday, trapping 19 persons, local officials said.</p>
<p>Two people were trapped in Changshi, while more than a dozen residents in Qingyang village of Guowa were trapped across six residential buildings involving eight households in the landslides that hit around 3 am and 8 am, respectively, according to preliminary assessments by local authorities.</p>
<p>Policemen, emergency responders and firefighters rushed to the affected areas to carry out search and rescue operations, Xinhua news agency reported.</p>
<p>They are being assisted by sniffer dogs and are equipped with life detectors, drones and relevant tools, among other devices.</p>
<p>Rescue operations in Guowa are being hindered by steep slopes and mountainous terrain.</p>
<p>Guizhou activated a Level II emergency response for geological disasters at 2:30 pm, Xinhua reported.</p>
<p>China’s Ministry of Natural Resources raised its emergency response to geological disasters from Level III to Level II at 11 a.m., and dispatched a working team to the area to guide rescue operations.</p>
<p>The ministry urged swift efforts to verify the situation, carry out search and rescue operations, and also guard against secondary disasters.&nbsp;</p>
<p><em><strong>(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)</strong></em></p>