Hundreds of rescuers battling rain and low visibility today mounted a massive operation to locate nearly 100 people including 32 women who remained missing a day after a massive landslide struck an industrial estate in China's manufacturing hub of Shenzen.
In what is being termed as one of China's worst urban disasters, a huge man-made mound of earth and construction debris lost stability and collapsed yesterday, burying 33 buildings and triggering an explosion at a gas station in an industrial park in the southern city of Shenzhen.
Rescuers sifted through hundreds of tonnes of mud from a crumbling mountain and debris from the buildings in one of China's most developed cities, bordering Hong Kong.
Authorities mounted a massive rescue operation battling bad weather and low visibility, with 78 excavators and 1,200 rescuers added to the operation searching for the 91 people missing that includes 32 women, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
There are now 2,906 rescuers, including some 8,00 members of the armed forces, digging through silt and rubble at the Hengtaiyu industrial park. The excavators, which arrived at the site this morning, are the first to be involved in the operation, the report said.
It was, however, unlikely that further landslides take place, according to a team of 200 geology and gas experts involved in the rescue.
The rescue headquarters said they have detected signs of life at three separate locations of the site. Two checkpoints have been established to register and verify information on the missing people.
"The site is quite narrow and is located on a ramp, so it is very difficult for vehicles to enter. We have to go there on foot," said Ao Zhuoqian, an official of Shenzhen's fire control department.
Rescue efforts were being hampered by a spate of obstacles, including rain, low nighttime visibility and the large amount of mud, Ao said.
The landslide buried 33 buildings including 14 factory buildings, two office buildings, one canteen, three dormitories and 13 low-rise buildings.
The mud came like "huge waves" as residents ran out of the way, Xinhua quoted a villager as saying. "At one point the running mud was only ten meters away from me.".
At least 16 people, including children, have been hospitalised and are in a stable condition.
(Reopens FGN17)
Ten senior doctors from Guangzhou and Beijing, mostly orthopedists, neurosurgeons and trauma doctors, are in Shenzhen to help treat the injured, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
A statement on Weibo, China's micro-blogging site akin to Twitter, from the Shenzhen municipal government said the landslide also triggered an explosion at a nearby gas station.
A nearby section of the West-to-East natural gas pipeline exploded after the landslide struck the Hengtaiyu industrial park at around 11:40 AM which resulted in amassing of more than 100,000 square metres of debris.
Videos on China's social media showed vast amounts of red mud pouring into the city.
The mud slide slowed down as it approached the main area of the estate giving time for many people to escape.
A resident living about 4 kms away from the site told Xinhua that he heard "a loud explosion" yesterday.
"It must be a big accident, as I could hear the sound from so far away," he said.
An employee with the Liuxu Technology Co in the park said power supply in the company suddenly went down around noon.
"I saw red earth and mud running towards the company building. Fortunately, our building was not hit, and all people in our company were safely evacuated," he said.
The mud has covered an area of more than 60,000 square meters with an average thickness of 6 meters, according to geological experts at the site. However, deputy mayor of Shenzhen Liu Qingsheng said the landslide covered 380,000 square metres in silt 10 metres deep.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have ordered immediate rescue efforts and prevent secondary disasters.
The 1,500 people evacuated after the landslide are staying in temporary settlements at a nearby sports center, community workstation and hospital.
"We are providing food and drinks, mattresses and quilts to meet people's basic needs," said Chen Jun, a volunteer at Guangming District Sports Centre.
