Dramatic moments of fatal Gansu landslide

Chaotic scene

Luo Lingshan, chief of the Tanchang County Fire and Rescue Brigade, immediately knew the situation was serious when the emergency call came in.

The dispatch report mentioned only a landslide and people being trapped, but after 17 years in the fire service, Luo knew what those few words could mean.

"I immediately ordered all available personnel to assemble," he said.

Within a minute, 23 firefighters who had gathered for a training exercise boarded three rescue vehicles and headed toward the mountains. While en route, Luo reported the disaster to the county government and emergency management authorities, requesting additional engineering equipment, medical teams and other rescue forces.

When the convoy reached the valley, the firefighters could go no farther. The landslide had blocked access, forcing the team to leave their vehicles behind and continue on foot.

The scene that greeted them was chaotic.

Several villagers had managed to escape on their own. Some were crying, others were shouting that more people remained trapped higher up the slope.

"There were people calling for us to save those still buried," Luo recalled.

The first priority was those buried in shallow debris.

Working with shovels, chain saws and their bare hands, firefighters removed soil, rocks and fallen trees. Whenever they reached a victim's body, they stopped using tools to avoid causing further injury.

Within about 20 minutes, the team had pulled out five survivors. Most were buried only from the waist down, while others had their legs trapped beneath the debris. Although frightened and in tears, their overall physical condition was relatively stable and they were quickly transferred by stretchers to waiting medical teams, Luo said.

The danger, however, had not passed. Loose rocks and soil continued falling from the mountainside.

"We set up three observation posts," Luo said. "If there were any signs of another collapse, we could immediately sound the evacuation signal and protect the rescuers."

The unstable slope shaped every decision that followed.

As larger rescue teams arrived, the operation shifted from rescuing shallowly buried survivors to locating people trapped deep beneath the landslide. Firefighters used life-detection radar, manual searches and heavy machinery to narrow the search area before excavators began removing the enormous volume of debris.

The moment anything resembling a victim appeared, the machinery was stopped and firefighters took over by hand. "We couldn't risk causing additional injuries," Luo said.

Rain during the afternoon briefly forced rescuers to withdraw because of the increased risk of another landslide. After that, the rescue operation continued through the night under powerful mobile lighting units.

"The environment was extremely dangerous and physically demanding," said Luo, who remained at the scene throughout the nearly 20-hour operation.

"Some firefighters wore through their gloves. Others suffered cuts and bruises on their hands. But no one backed away. Everyone stayed on the front line."