Villagers mourn dead after deadly landslide
Despite government sending 3,000 rescuers, there is little hope of finding survivors
Villagers in China visited what used to be their relatives’ homes yesterday to mourn loved ones lost when a landslide swept down a mountain, with little hope of finding anyone alive after more than 48 hours of fruitless searching.
At least 93 people are missing after the landslide engulfed Xinmo village in mountainous Sichuan province as dawn broke on Saturday. Ten people have been confirmed dead.
“Our house was somewhere around here but everything has been destroyed beyond recognition,” said a middle-aged woman, one of a few residents who were away when disaster struck, after she pulled a green blanket she recognised out of the mud and rocks.
The government has sent some 3,000 rescuers, along with heavy digging equipment, and has promised to do all it can to look for survivors.
Heavy rain triggered the landslide, authorities have said.
Some villagers said they’ve always known landslides are a big danger but authorities never offered to help them move.
With danger of more landslides, authorities have been restricting access to the disaster zone, but hundreds of people were allowed back yesterday.
Mournful wails and firecracker explosions echoed through Xinmo’s steep valley as bereaved relatives returned, many clutching snacks and wrapped in plastic and bottles of wine as offerings for the dead.
Some people burnt paper money and lit incense which, along with setting off fireworks, are traditional acts of mourning.
“Every single family has been impacted by the landslide, it’s horrible,” said Sun Danxian, from a neighbouring village who was walking through the site.
The government of Mao county, where the village is located, posted yesterday drone video footage of the area showing about dozen mechanical diggers shifting through a landscape of grey rocks.
Earlier yesterday, about 100 villagers, unhappy with what they said was limited information, met government officials at a nearby primary school, insisting they had to get to Xinmo.
They also voiced fears about the possibility of rebuilding homes before winter and what would happen to orphans.
“These government officials have been lying to us for three days,” a middle-aged man from Xinmo, with several missing relatives told Reuters.
“They told us we could go back yesterday morning but they kept delaying and delaying giving us all kinds of excuses.”