One person has died and 11 remain missing after a mudslide struck a village in Suichuan County, Jiangxi province, eastern China, following days of torrential rain brought by Typhoon Saudel.
The landslide hit at about 4am on Saturday, 5 September, damaging around a dozen homes and prompting an urgent search-and-rescue operation, local authorities said.
Two people were pulled from the debris alive and were reported to be in stable condition. Residents in the affected area were moved to safety as officials warned of the risk of further landslides and other secondary disasters.
More than 640 rescuers had reached the scene by Saturday evening, according to the county’s flood control and drought relief headquarters. Firefighters equipped with life detectors, drones and sniffer dogs had to take a route through the mountains after the road to the village was damaged.
Thirty-nine villagers had been evacuated from the immediate area, while more than 5,300 people in nearby districts were relocated as a precaution. Repair crews were also working to restore the damaged road and power lines, with telecommunications services reported to have been brought back.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management activated a national level-four emergency response and sent a team to assist with the rescue. The Ministry of Natural Resources also raised its geological disaster response for Jiangxi from level four to level three.
The mudslide was among a series of disasters linked to Typhoon Saudel, which brought heavy rainfall to Jiangxi and neighbouring Fujian province. The storm made two landfalls in Zhejiang on 28 August before reaching Fujian as a tropical storm on Thursday.
In Fujian, multiple residents remained unaccounted for after flooding in Huating Town, Putian, where more than 100 homes collapsed and a breached dyke sent water into nearby villages.
About 600,000 people were evacuated from high-risk coastal and inland areas across Fujian by Friday night. State broadcaster CCTV showed flooded streets and rescue teams using inflatable boats to reach stranded residents.
