DEVASTATING LANDSLIDE BURIES AT LEAST 120 IN CHINA|四川山崩滅村挖出15遺體 120人恐活埋

On June 24, a devastating landslide occurred in Sichuan Province's Mao County, China. The whole village was suddenly buried by a large number of rocks, and 62 households might be buried. Rescuers have pulled a family of three out but 15 bodies have been found, and at least 120 could still be buried. As heavy rain continues, the death toll is likely to rise. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council and the Straits Exchange Foundation expressed concern and willingness to offer rescue operation. At the disaster site in Sichuan's Mao County, the devastating landslide has leveled the whole village, with rocks scattered here and there. Rescuers worked together to remove the rocks, looking for survivors. ==CCTV REPORTER== Half of the mountains seem to have collapsed and the present site, where a village used to be located, is covered with massive rocks. It is impossible to calculate the depth of the rocks which buried the village, so the search and rescue operation is extremely difficult. At around 6 am on June 24, the severe landslide took place when most villagers were still sound asleep and unable to escape. The landslide blocked a 2-kilometer section of a river. A 1.6-kilometer road leading to the outside was also cut off. China's President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang said the rescue operation is in full swing. In response to the disaster, Sichuan Province dispatched 542 people of 7 teams, together with 16 life detectors and 23 rescue dogs to the scene. A couple and a one-month-old baby were safely rescued around mid-day. However, rain kept falling and a second landslide broke out at around 1 pm. Some of the rescue workers were forced to evacuate accordingly. Mao County is located at the Longmenshan Fault, where broken rocks can cause mountain disasters. Starting from June 20, there has been heavy rain, and three more days of rain is expected, which has seriously affected the rescue operation. As the landslide occurred on the weekend and the village is a scenic spot, some students returning home from school and travelers may have been buried alive. The number of deaths is likely to rise. TRANSLATED BY：BRYANT CHANG 中國四川省的茂縣，24號發生重大山崩，整座村落瞬間被大量土石掩埋滅村，熟睡村民逃避不及，災區46戶人家共141人恐怕已遭活埋，所幸有一家三口幸運獲救，但災區大雨不斷，還發生二度崩塌，未來幾天仍有降雨，嚴重影響救援進度，不排除罹難人數會向上攀升。 發生嚴重土石流的四川省茂縣的災難現場，整座村落已夷為平地，只有四處散落大型石塊，救難人員合力搬開大石塊搜尋生還者下落。 聲音來源 中國央視記者 像是半座山全部發生了垮塌，而之前的這個村子現在所在的位置，現在有巨大的山石，而且厚度無法估量這樣的山石，出現了掩埋，所以現場的搜救，包括救援的難度非常大。 這起嚴重山崩意外，發生在24號清晨六點左右，當時大多數村民正在熟睡，來不及逃難。山崩發生後河道堵塞2公里，1.6公里的連外道也中斷，中國國家主席習近平，國務院總理李克強下令，全力救災，四川省啟動一級特大地質災害機制，共派出7支隊伍，542人參與搜救，配備16具生命探測儀，23隻搜救犬。 接近中午時分，順利救出一對夫妻跟一個多月的嬰兒一家三口，但雨勢持續不斷，下午一點多發生二度崩塌，部份搜救人員被迫撤離。茂縣地處龍門山斷層帶，岩體破碎容易發生山地災害，從20號一直降雨，還要再下三天，嚴重影響搜救作業，加上適逢週末假日，當地又是旅遊景點，因此不排除有返鄉學生跟遊客遭到活埋，罹難人數也可能向上攀升。 記者 靳元慶 報導