KANGDING: Eight people were killed and 19 others were missing as of 2:30 p.m. Sunday after a flash flood and mudslide hit the city of Kangding in southwest China’s Sichuan province, local authorities said.
The disaster occurred around 3:30 a.m. Saturday in Kangding, Tibet’s Garze Autonomous Prefecture, when a tunnel bridge collapsed and destroyed houses in Ridi village. The village is located in a valley at an altitude of 1,300 meters above sea level, with the nearby mountains rising to an altitude of over 5,000 meters.
The natural disaster left six people dead and 11 others missing in the village of Ridi. In addition, the collapse of the bridge between the tunnels, triggered by the disaster, resulted in the fall of four vehicles.
One individual was rescued and hospitalized, the bridge collapse killed two and left eight others missing, the local rescue command said.
In response to the disaster, local authorities quickly organized a large-scale rescue operation, which has so far deployed 1,554 rescuers. Their tireless efforts also resulted in the successful relocation and resettlement of 939 affected residents.
Zhang, also a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said this as he visited affected residents and inspected flood control work.
Zhang called on local authorities to do their best to help disaster-affected people solve practical difficulties and restore normal life and production order, and remain highly vigilant and improve monitoring to ensure the safety of people’s lives.
