All-out rescue efforts underway after Sichuan landslide

President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to search for and rescue the missing and minimize casualties following a devastating landslide in Yibin, Sichuan province, on Saturday.

He made the instruction after the landslide struck Jinping village of Junlian county in Yibin at around 11:50 am on Saturday, burying 10 houses. The disaster left one person dead, two injured and 28 missing as of 11 am on Sunday.

Xi also stressed the need to enhance disaster monitoring and early warning, ensure that rescue work is carried out scientifically, and prevent secondary disasters.

In a separate instruction, Premier Li Qiang has urged efforts to rescue the trapped, examine potential geological hazards in surrounding areas, transfer those who are at risk to safe places and guard against secondary risks.

Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong, who has led a team to Sichuan to guide the rescue work, underscored the importance of using advanced rescue and monitoring methods, and asked the rescue forces to ensure safety in their operations.

Efforts should also be made to provide comfort to the families of the victims and the missing, and ensure the basic needs and medical services for those who have been relocated, he said.

Sichuan upgraded its emergency response for geological disasters from Level III to Level I, the highest response level in a three-tier system, on Saturday afternoon.

The Ministry of Emergency Management initiated a Level III emergency response for geological disasters, while the National Commission for Disaster Reduction activated a Level IV national disaster emergency response.