Xi'an city immediately set up an onsite command center and deployed 14 rescue teams, including fire and police departments with more than 980 personnel, to carry out search, rescue and disaster relief operations.
Beijing: Heavy downpour in the Xi’an region of China’s Shaanxi province, as well as floods and landslides that hit a mountainous area on Friday evening, have left 21 people dead and six others missing as of Sunday evening. Heavy rains, mountain floods and landslides hit a village in Chang’an in Xi’an district at around 6 pm on Friday, the sources reported. According to Global Times report, two houses and 21 stretches on National Highway 210 have been damaged due to the disaster.
In addition, the disaster damaged three power supply infrastructures and left 900 households without power, the Global Times reported, quoting the Xi’an Bureau of Emergency Management. Xi’an city immediately set up an onsite command center and deployed 14 rescue teams, including fire and police departments with more than 980 personnel, to carry out search, rescue and disaster relief operations.
According to sources, 1,100 units of equipment including life detectors, satellite phones, sniffer dogs have been deployed to carry out search, rescue and disaster relief operations. Till Sunday evening, 186 residents have been shifted and resettled and three severely damaged sections of National Highway 210 have been restored. Work is being done on 21 slightly damaged road sections and communication services have been restored in 49 affected areas.
Meanwhile, power supply has been restored in 855 houses. Preliminary investigation revealed that two houses were washed away in the village, surrounding roads, bridges, power supply and other infrastructure were damaged. The Xi’an Detachment of the Armed Police Force in Shaanxi deployed more than 100 personnel to the affected area. Preliminary search and rescue operation is being carried out in the affected area.
As of Sunday morning, rescue forces had shifted 81 residents and 11 vehicles to safer locations, and were providing assistance in locating four dead villagers, the Global Times reported. A local villager said that the flood and landslide started after an hour or two of heavy rain on Friday afternoon.
Local fire departments, police and emergency management officials are making efforts to coordinate the rescue operation. After receiving the report, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched a working group to the disaster site to assist with rescue and response efforts.
