BEIJING: Rain, flash floods and mudslides threatened the search for dozens of people still missing on Thursday (Sep 8), days after a strong earthquake rocked mountainous southwest China, killing at least 82.
The magnitude 6.6 quake hit about 43km southeast of the city of Kangding in Sichuan province at a depth of 10km on Monday, according to the US Geological Survey, forcing thousands to be resettled into temporary camps.
State broadcaster CCTV said that 46 people died in Ganzi prefecture near the epicentre, while 36 deaths were reported in neighbouring Ya’an city.
More than 270 others were injured while the number of missing remained at 35, CCTV reported without giving more details about the situations of those unaccounted for.
A yellow alert issued by the national weather service – warning of a “risk of geological disaster” – was in force until Thursday night, and moderate rain was forecast to continue to Friday with heavy showers in some areas.
“Since the post-earthquake geological conditions are inherently fragile, and the impact of additional rainfall may lead to landslides and mudslides, the local area needs to beware of secondary disasters,” China’s meteorological administration said.
The People’s Liberation Army, paramilitary police, and fire rescue services dispatched more than 10,000 workers to the area, who continued search operations and landslide clean-up efforts in the remote countryside.