Secondary disasters frequent in SW China landslide site, search continuing for 64 missing

WULONG, Chongqing, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Ten
small-scale landslides have hit a landslide site in southwest China's Chongqing
Municipality from Friday, and rescuers continued to search for 64 missing for
the 10th day on Tuesday.

Heavy machinery works at the landslide
site in Wulong County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, June 15,
2009. The rescue headquarters said that seven potential geological
disaster spots were located that may not only affect the rescue work but
also threat the lives of over 3,000 rescuers at the landslide
site.(Xinhua/Xu Xuzhong)
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The rescue headquarters said Tuesday that no
casualties had been reported during the rescue. There were 3,000 rescuers aided
by heavy machinery, drilling holes and clearing rubble in a search for the
missing.

A geologist with the rescue headquarters, who declined to be identified, said on Sunday that cracks with a span of eight to ten meters and up to 30 meters deep have appeared on the landslide-hit hills. He said under the threat of secondary disasters, the search for the missing may be suspended.

The rescue headquarters said rescuers have basically
brought the risk of a barrier lake under control on Tuesday, when the level of
the water dropped 10 meters below the top of a temporary embankment, thanks to
drainage work.

"If there is no rain in the next three days, the
drainage work would be more effective in preventing the lake's flood risk," said
Zhu Xiansheng, head of the water conservancy bureau of Chongqing.

The landslide site has entered the flood season, and
landslide-induced lakes are likely to trigger mud-rock flows, he said.

Rescuers have found 10 bodies in the 10-day search.
The number of estimated missing people in the landslide was reported as 64 by
the headquarters.

Rescuers refused to estimate the survival chances of
the missing. Bo Xilai, secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the
Communist Party of China, has ordered rescuers to make their utmost efforts to
save lives and retrieve the bodies.

Rescuers have estimated there were greater survival
chances for 27 miners believed to be trapped in an iron ore mine in the
mountain.

Rescuers have not yet found the mine entrance, which
was buried deep under landslide rubble.