Two more bodies were found Sunday morning in the mud and rubble left by a major landslide in Chongqing Municipality, in southwest China, bringing the total number of deaths to five.
Another 16 people were still missing, buried in the Saturday afternoon landslide. Rescue efforts continued, but officials said the chances of finding them still alive were slim.
Cheng Feng, media relations director for the Chongqing municipal government, said they had not ruled out the possibility that some of those who are missing may not have been at the site at the time of the landslide.
More than 100 villagers have been evacuated, including 32 relatives of the victims. Some sought refuge with relatives and others were moved to a hotel operated by the local Donglin Coal Mine. All had adequate food and shelter, officials said.
Three people were injured in the slide, two slightly and one seriously. All are now out of danger.
Heavy rain over the past few days led to mountain torrents on Saturday afternoon, which caused the collapse of part of a local hill and the coal waste deposit belonging to the mine in Xinhua Village.
Mud and rubble from the hill and waste deposit, about 200,000 cubic meters in total, slid 800 meters and buried 14 homes, rescue workers said.
A total of 56 people lived in the homes, but 32 were not at home at the time at the time of the slide.
The Chongqing municipal government has vowed to handle properly the problems that are likely to arise in the aftermath.
Compensation for the victims and details of rebuilding have not been decided, said Cheng, but the government will cover medical bills.
Teams have been organized to care for the 14 families that lost their homes and arrange for compensation. Fourteen temporary homes have been arranged, said rescue officials.
Rescue workers are reinforcing a temporary embankment to prevent further landslides. A provisional monitoring station is watching for signs of further slides, but Cheng said that is unlikely to occur as the rain has stopped.
A security team made up of local police and government officials was set up to take charge of security at the site, to ensure public order and guard against thefts or other crimes.
(China Daily June 7, 2004)
