Rescue workers in China yesterday pulled more bodies out of piles of rock and mud on Sunday as they searched for 93 people still missing a day after a landslide buried a mountain village, with hopes fading of finding survivors.
A couple and their two-month-old baby were the only survivors reported to be found alive in the rubble hours after the massive landslide crashed down on the village of Xinmo, Sichuan Province, as dawn broke on Saturday.
Authorities reduced the number of missing after confirming the safety of 15 people directly or through relatives, according to the official microblog for Xinmo’s propaganda department.
Photo: AP
Ten more bodies were recovered by early yesterday afternoon, bringing the death toll to 25, the microblog said.
“This is useless,” said villager Han Jianying, searching for missing family members. “Everyone’s going to be in pieces anyway.”
Geological experts said that chances of survival for the missing were slim, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We weren’t able to pull anyone out alive,” said Wu Youheng who lives in a neighboring village and rushed to help rescue efforts on Saturday. “We pulled out two people, but they were already dead. I think it’s too late, they’re unlikely to find anyone else alive.”
Wu said that the area was prone to landslides, but the scale of Saturday’s slide was unprecedented.
Wu’s wife, Zhang Xiaohong, said that they often sleep in other villages because of fear of landslides, but cannot afford to move to the safer capital of Mao County.
A massive rescue effort involving more than 3,000 rescue workers was underway, Xinhua reported, while state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) showed images of industrial excavators removing rubble from a hillside along with workers in hard hats.
Heavy rain triggered the landslide, authorities said.
More light showers were expected yesterday and today, but were not expected to affect search efforts, CCTV reported.
Reports of the landslide remained largely absent from the Chinese media apart from Xinhua, CCTV and the People’s Daily. but the names of the missing have been posted on government Web sites.
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