A total of 91 people remain missing as of early Monday morning, including 59 males and 32 females, after a landslide buried 33 buildings in an industrial park in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province on Sunday, according to local authorities.

An initial investigation shows that the 33 buildings have been buried or damaged to various degrees - 14 factory buildings, two office buildings, one canteen, three dormitories and 13 low-rise buildings, said Liu Qingsheng, deputy mayor of Shenzhen, at a press conference on Monday.

So far, 151 construction vehicles and a large group of rescuers are still battling at the site where the landslide occurred.

Experts at the site said it was unlikely there would be more landslides.

PetroChina, China's top oil and gas producer, owned the West-to-East natural gas pipeline that exploded as the landslide hit the area. They announced that the 400-meter-long ruptured pipe has been emptied. A temporary pipe will be built on Monday morning. .



Previous report: Shenzhen disaster caused by poor storage of waste soil

Excavators dig through debris during rescue efforts in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province on Sunday. As of press time, 59 people remained missing, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Photo: Xinhua

 

 

At least three people were injured and 59 missing after a manmade landslide hit an industrial park in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province as of press time on Sunday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The landslide was allegedly caused by improper storage of waste soil, which had been piled up to some 100 meters high at an old quarry site.

A nearby section of the West-to-East natural gas pipeline exploded after the landslide struck the Hengtaiyu industrial park at around 11:40 am, with the debris spread over an area of 100,000 square meters as of 7 pm.

A total of 22 residential and plant buildings belonging to 15 companies were covered by the mud.

Over 900 people in the area were evacuated and four were rescued, including three with minor injuries, according to a press conference held by the rescue team on Sunday afternoon. 

Nearly 1,500 people, including police and doctors, were involved in the search and rescue operation. 

Forty fire engines were dispatched to the site and 199 firemen were searching the debris for trapped people, according to the firefighting department of Shenzhen.

The search and rescue work was conducted amid rain and in darkness, local media reported. 

According to Guangzhou-based Nanfang Daily, the incident took place at an old quarry, which has been used as a storage site for waste soil from construction sites.

A local resident surnamed Jiang told the Beijing Youth Daily on Sunday that the soil dug out from groundwork at the nearby construction sites was not properly handled. Instead, workers piled the soil up to some 100 meters high at the old quarry. After heavy rain in the morning, mud cascaded and hit the nearby Hengtaiyu Industrial Park.

The site has been operating in violation of regulations since its establishment, said the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily on its Sina Weibo. The post was later removed.

An environmental assessment report on the quarry, which was submitted in January, warned of the potential risk of landslides, news portal sohu.com reported.

Contingency plan

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have ordered immediate rescue efforts following the landslide, Xinhua reported.

Xi asked Guangdong and Shenzhen authorities to do everything possible to minimize casualties, treat the injured and comfort the family members of the victims. He said scientific rescue efforts are needed to prevent further damages.

Li urged the Ministry of Land and Resources and other central authorities to send officials to help the local government in its rescue efforts. He also ordered an investigation into the cause of the disaster.

Local governments in Shenzhen and Guangming New District have launched a contingency plan for the rescue, and established a command center and 10 working groups including search and rescue, medical support, information release, and traffic control. 

Power in several regions was cut off to support the rescue work, and traffic control was initiated to facilitate the operation, China Central Television reported.

Nearby gas stations have temporarily stopped supply to the pipeline and no leakage of gas has been found, the fire department under the local public security bureau announced.

Four temporary relocation sites have been set up to provide quilt, water and food for residents and migrant workers, a volunteer surnamed Han at the site in Fenghuang residential community told the Global Times.

The State Council, China's cabinet, has sent a working group to Shenzhen to help coordinate rescue efforts.

China's Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun has demanded immediate action to identify the dead and injured.

Shenzhen Party Secretary Ma Xingrui and Mayor Xu Qing, who were attending a meeting in Beijing, rushed back to help coordinate rescue efforts.

Agencies contributed to this story

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