NANCHANG, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- One person has been confirmed dead and 11 others are missing after a mudslide struck a village in Suichuan County, Ji'an City, east China's Jiangxi Province at around 4 a.m. on Saturday, local authorities said.
The disaster was triggered by days of torrential rains brought by Typhoon Saudel, according to the county's flood control and drought relief headquarters.
Two other people have been rescued, and they are in stable conditions. All-out search and rescue operations are underway, while efforts continued to relocate affected residents and prevent secondary disasters.
As of 10 p.m., more than 640 rescuers have arrived at the site for rescue and search, according to the county flood control and drought relief headquarters. The first batch of firefighters with life detectors, drones and sniffer dogs arrived at the site at 11 a.m. by detouring over the mountains, as the road leading to the village was damaged.
So far, 39 villagers have been evacuated to safety. In neighboring areas, more than 5,300 people have been relocated to guard against potential disasters.
Workers are still repairing the road leading to the village and power lines. Telecommunications services have been restored.
Following the disaster, the Jiangxi provincial committee for disaster prevention, mitigation and relief issued a Level-III provincial emergency response for disaster relief at noon on Saturday, as Typhoon Saudel had left around 161,500 residents affected in the province.
China's Ministry of Natural Resources raised its geological disaster response for Jiangxi from Level IV to III at 11 a.m. Saturday and dispatched a work team to the site to guide rescue efforts.
The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level-IV national emergency response for natural disaster relief, and sent a work team and an emergency survey team with equipment including slope radar to assist with rescue operations.
The National Development and Reform Commission on Saturday allocated 20 million yuan (2.95 million U.S. dollars) from the central natural disaster relief funds to support emergency rescue and disaster relief work in Jiangxi.
The fund will be used for the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure, including roads and water conservancy facilities, as well as public service facilities such as schools and hospitals, in a bid to restore normal production and daily life in the affected areas as soon as possible.
China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe. ■
