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| Earth movers remove rocks and mud where the landslide hit a mining area in Maizhokunggar county |
The landslide happened at about 6 a.m. in Maizhokunggar County of Lhasa, the regional capital. The victims, including two Tibetans, were workers from Tibet Huatailong Mining Development Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of the China National Gold Group Corporation.
The affected area of the landslide, caused by natural disasters, is 3 kilometers long, with about 2 million cubic meters of mud, rock and debris, according to the publicity department of the regional government.
More than 1,000 rescuers, including police, firefighters and medical personnel, are working at the site, which is at an altitude of 4,600 meters.
A mass of rolling rock from the mountaintop sliced a massive excavator in two, a witness told Xinhua.
The broken stones buried the workers’ camp, which is 2 km away from the mountain pass. A 2-km-long, 50-meter-wide and 100-meter-deep stone belt is lying in the valley, a Xinhua reporter saw.
Five excavators, five pick-up trucks and an SUV are also buried in the debris, said Zou Yuming, deputy head of the Maizhokunggar County government.
About 200 large vehicles and equipment, 15 sniffer dogs and 15 life-detector machines are being used in the rescue.
The rescue will be very difficult due to the size of the affected area, said an official from the regional fire department.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on Friday ordered top efforts to rescue workers buried in the landslide.
Xi and Li have told local authorities to spare no efforts in rescuing the buried workers and preventing secondary disasters.
They also urged that the cause of the landslide be determined promptly.
A work team led by officials from the State Administration of Work Safety, Ministry of Land and Resources and State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission is rushing to the accident sit to guide rescue efforts.
Xinhua
