Emergency response activated after landslide traps people in Gansu village

The Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level IV geological disaster emergency response, the lowest in China's four-tier system, on Tuesday after a landslide trapped an unknown number of people in a village in Gansu province.

The slide struck Renzang village in Tanchang county under the province's Longnan city, and rescue teams were deployed to search for those trapped, the ministry said.

Zhang Chengzhong, the minister of emergency management, ordered a rescue deployment, instructing teams to confirm how many people were caught, mobilize nearby emergency forces, carry out scientific rescue operations and guard against secondary disasters, the ministry said.

The ministry has dispatched a working group to the scene to guide rescue efforts. The local fire brigade sent seven vehicles and 40 firefighters to the area.

The National Work Safety Emergency Rescue Center ordered its specialist survey team to send two vehicles and five personnel equipped with slope radar to join the operation.

In addition, 120 rescuers from teams under the national mine emergency rescue and the national hazardous chemical emergency rescue have been put on standby for possible deployment.

Also on Tuesday, the National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief activated a Level IV national disaster relief emergency response, the lowest of the country's four-tier system, in response to the landslide, to guide and assist local authorities in comforting the families of the deceased, treating the injured, and relocating and resettling affected residents.