Rescuers search for trapped people at the landslide site in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Dec. 21, 2015. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)
Latest: One body found after south China landslide
One body was dug out around 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning after dozens of people were buried in Sunday's landslide in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, local authorities said.
Nearly 3,000 rescue workers have been mobilized to search for dozens of people still missing after Sunday's landslide in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.
By early morning Tuesday, the number of missing people in the landslide, which hit an industrial park in the Guangming district in Shenzhen, was revised to 81 from 91, the local government said.
Including the armed forces, 2,906 rescuers are involved in the search at Hengtaiyu Industrial Park, supported by 406 special vehicles, 123 life detectors and 30 search dogs. Ten senior doctors from Guangzhou and Beijing have been despatched to help. Only seven people have been rescued.
The disaster occurred at around 11:40 a.m. Sunday after a huge pile of construction waste slid down a hill. Some 900 people have been evacuated, but at least 16 people were hospitalized, including a seven-year-old. All are in a stable condition.
The landslide covered an area of 380,000 square meters in 10 meters of silt, said Liu Qingsheng, deputy mayor of Shenzhen.
The buried or damaged buildings include 14 factories, two offices, one canteen, three dormitories and 13 low-rise buildings.
A section of a major West-to-East natural gas pipeline burst following the landslide, cutting off gas supply to neighboring Hong Kong. PetroChina emptied the 400 meters of ruptured pipe and has pumped it full of nitrogen to prevent any further accidents. The company said it will build a temporary pipeline within seven to 10 days to resume the transfer of gas.
The evacuated people are being looked after at temporary shelters.
"We are providing food and beverages, mattresses and quilts to meet people's basic needs," said Chen Jun, a volunteer at Guangming District Sports Center.
DIFFICULT RESCUE
Workers are racing against time, as signs of life were still detectable under the debris on Monday. With five excavators, rescuers were close to reaching the first floor of a buried office on Monday evening.
They used cutting machines to dismantle the concrete structure after a large pit was dug.
"The rescue is extremely difficult due to the mud and silt," said Cui Bo, a Guangdong firefighter at the scene.
