CCTV9英语新闻：Landslides hit south China regions

South China has been battered by yet another round of rainstorms since Friday. The downpours lashed many southern regions, including Guangdong, Fujian, and the Tibet Autonomous Region. Precipitation ranged between 50 and 80 millimetres. Areas such as Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guangxi have also been hit by heavy rain, which has caused mountain torrents and landslides.

 

Powerful rainstorms have been drenching much of southern China. And the storms have triggered disasters in some places. Six people are reported missing in southwest China's Yunnan Province after a landslide on Friday. The accident happened at 6:40 p.m. in Guoli Village, when the landslide hit a temporary facility for road workers

 

Rescuers arrived five hours later but couldn't start the rescue operation immediately due to the heavy rainfall and limited light.

 

"We've started the rescue operation. Over 20 soldiers have been dispatched. We're using many kinds of tools and even our bare hands to search for buried people. We are due to get 60 more soldiers and they are currently heading towards the accident site to help with the rescue," Zheng Jinyan with Nujiang Armed Police Detachment said.

 

Meanwhile, the weather has also brought much trouble to people in the southeast regions. A village in Jiangxi Province was effectively swept off by a storm-triggered landslide, affecting 4,000 square meters of land and hundreds of villagers.

 

The rain was very heavy in the morning when I had my breakfast, but it got heavier after. We are so afraid of the stones and mud.

 

Personnel have also been dispatched in other rescue operations in the province. And the water level of the province's Poyang Lake has risen by 56 centimeters. It's now more than two-and-a-half meters higher than a year ago. The National Weather Center suggested that people living in the affected areas should avoid outdoor activities, and take precautions if possible against possible landslides and mud-rock flows.