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Sichuan Rainstorm Triggers Mudslides, Hundreds of Tourists Trapped
A motorcyclist rides near buildings destroyed by a flood-triggered landslide in southwest Sichuan Province's Hanyuan county on July 27, 2010. Again this year Sichuan Province experienced heavy rain causing mudslides and flash floods across the area. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
A massive seven-hour rainstorm hit Sichuan Province on August 17, causing mudslides and flash floods across the area. The Yinchanggou scenic area in Pengzhou City, one of the most affected areas during the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, was again hard-hit by disaster.
According a microblogging account with 4.7 million followers tagged Micro-Chengdu and thought to be sanctioned a government source, around 1,300 people were evacuated out of Yinchanggou, including 784 tourists. Two people were reported missing. Ten houses and 1,200 meters of public highway were also destroyed.
Several tourists wrote about their experiences on microblogs of escaping the area by walking for hours on foot.
User songyefeifei posted onto his Sina Weibo account: “Today we finally escaped after climbing over two mountains and crossing three rivers. It took us six hours, and I am exhausted. Do you see the mudslide at Yinchanggou? That used to be a 10 meter-long bridge.” He uploaded a photo along with his post.
Mr. Mou, a farmer who works at a national park in Yinchanggou, located around 76 km from Chengdu city, told The Epoch Times that he estimates that more than 200 tourists were trapped when the rainstorm hit. They were later evacuated, he said.
“This is detrimental to our business, as many tourists will be too afraid to come here,” he said.
Mou also noted that on the evening of Aug. 17, the area lost electricity and cell phone reception. The next day phones were restored, but Mou did not expect the electricity to be restored for a few more days.
A rescue worker with the username “Liao Xin 1” sought help through his Sina Weibo account, as there was a shortage of stretchers for injured victims. “Mudslides have blocked the roads in the village and the injured victims cannot be evacuated. The situation is worse than reported in the media. Please re-post this message or post this onto online forums so we can get help.”
Read the original Chinese article.
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2012-08-22 01:21:56
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