Now Reading: Chongqing landslide death toll rises to 51, 10 missing
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Chongqing landslide death toll rises to 51, 10 missing
Authorities in China have confirmed that the death toll from a landslide in Chongqing's Pengshui County on July 17 has risen to 51, with 10 people still missing. The disaster swept away…
The Story in Brief
Authorities in China have confirmed that the death toll from a landslide in Chongqing's Pengshui County on July 17 has risen to 51, with 10 people still missing. The disaster swept away several residential buildings at the foot of a mountain and along a riverbank, prompting the evacuation of over 1,100 people.
Rescuers, numbering more than 1,080, have faced severe challenges including massive boulders, elevation changes, high temperatures, and tight spaces. Underwater divers and robots scoured the nearby river, and over 330,000 cubic metres of material was excavated. The landslide came less than two weeks after another in Gansu province killed 21 people.
The Indian Opinion
While Chinese authorities have released detailed numbers of casualties and rescue efforts, the repeated landslides raise uncomfortable questions about prevention. The narrative of an all-powerful state response obscures the question: were these hillside buildings ever safe to begin with? The real test is not how many rescuers are deployed, but whether future construction in such zones will be stopped before another disaster buries a street.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
