四川茂县山体垮塌最新消息

At least 24 people have been killed and 109 are missing after a massive landslide in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

What happened?

The landslide struck the mountainous village of Xinmo in Maoxian County at about 6 a.m. local time on Saturday (22:00 GMT Friday), and buried more than 120 people from 62 homes.

An estimated 18 million cubic meters of earth fell some 1,600 meters, engulfing half of Xinmo.

The provincial government has launched the highest level of disaster relief response and sent rescue teams to the site.

A desperate search for possible survivors is under way.

Currently, more than 3,000 rescuers with life-detection instruments are engaged in the search for survivors.

Bulldozers and heavy diggers have been deployed to remove boulders. Medics were seen treating the injured.

"It's the biggest landslide in this area since the Wenchuan earthquake," Wang Yongbo, one of the local officials in charge of rescue efforts, said, referring to the disaster that left more than 80,000 people dead or missing in 2008 in Sichuan.

How many victims are there?

The rescue headquarters said 24 people have been confirmed dead and 109 are missing as of 11:20 a.m. Sunday. 

The identities of the missing have been made public on the local government's website.

Rescuers have also found "signs of life," possibly from two people under the rubble, with the use of infrared and radar devices, according to the rescue headquarters. Authorities are working to reach the people. 

"We won't give up as long as there is a slim of chance," said one rescuer.

Geological experts at the site said the chance of survival for the people buried is slim.

What caused the landslide? 

The provincial department of land and resources said heavy rain triggered the avalanche of rock.

There has been no reported seismic activity in China in the last 30 days but there has been a significant increase in the intensity of seasonal rains.

China has been experiencing weeks of heavy summer rains that often cause flooding and landslides in rural and mountainous regions.

It appears that heavy rain loosened the ground sufficiently to cause an entire mountainside to collapse on top of the village and fill the Minjiang River. ongoing rescue work will need to not only rescue and recover people but to open the river channel.

Where is the Xinmo village?

The province of Sichuan covers a rich and fertile plain but also includes the mountainous edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the west.

The village of Xinmo sits here, in the Hengduan Mountains, approximately 100 kilometers north of the provincial capital of Chengdu.

The area is prone to earthquakes, including one in 1933 that resulted in parts of Diexi town becoming submerged by a nearby lake, and a magnitude-8.0 tremor in Sichuan’s Wenchuan county in 2008.

What do we know about the village?

Maoxian County is home to about 110,000 people, according to the local government's website. Xinmo village is known locally for tourism.

The village was relocated to the current site in 1976 from an area prone to landslides and since then, villagers have been living in two groups in nearby locations.

Xu Zhiwen, executive deputy governor of the Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba, cleared up worries that some tourists might be among the buried.

All 142 tourists who entered the site Friday have been reached, said Xu.

And 110 people living nearby in another part of the village were evacuated to a township school on Saturday night, fearing there might be rain and secondary disasters.

What did survivors say?

only a couple and their two-month-old baby were rescued five hours after the landslide struck. They were taken to Maoxian County People's Hospital and none suffered life-threatening injuries. Another three-year-old child of the family remains buried.

Qiao Dashuai, 26, said he and his wife woke up to cries of their two-month-old son at about 5:30 a.m.

"Just after we changed the baby's diaper, we heard a big bang outside and the light went out," said Qiao. "We felt that something bad was happening and immediately rushed to the door, but the door was blocked by mud and rocks."

The husband and wife mainly suffered bruises and their one-month-old son was being treated for pneumonia as he inhaled muddy water.

What did President Xi and UN Secretary-General say?

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue efforts in the wake of the disaster on Saturday.

Xi said rescue workers should do all they can to reach people buried under the debris, and save as many as they can and minimize casualties, adding that appropriate care should be given to those who have suffered losses.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Saturday that he is saddened to learn of the loss of life and devastation caused by the landslide.

"The Secretary-General salutes the efforts of the national relief and recovery teams. The United Nations stands ready to support the authorities in any way it can if needed," said a UN statement.

"The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the people and Government of the People's Republic of China and wishes those injured a speedy recovery," the statement added.