Mudslide in east China's Jiangxi leaves 1 dead, 11 missing

One person has been confirmed dead and 11 others are missing after a mudslide struck a village in Suichuan County, Ji'an City, east China's Jiangxi Province, at around 4 a.m. on Saturday, local authorities said.

The disaster was triggered by days of torrential rains brought by Typhoon Saudel, according to the county's flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Three people have been rescued, two of whom are in stable condition while one has been confirmed dead. All-out search and rescue operations are underway, while efforts are also being made to relocate affected residents and prevent secondary disasters.

Local fire and rescue authorities have dispatched 41 vehicles and 224 personnel to the site, while communications and reconnaissance drones in nearby areas have been deployed for rescue.

Dozens of rescuers trekked into the village to carry out search and rescue operations. A total of 39 stranded residents have been safely relocated.

However, access roads from Suichuan County to the village remain disrupted by mudslides, while communication networks are still being repaired.

Additional rescue forces, including the China Anneng Group Second Engineering Bureau and the Blue Sky Rescue Team, are also heading to the disaster area.

The China Anneng, a state-owned engineering and rescue enterprise, has mobilized 80 rescue personnel and 45 pieces of equipment for road clearance, landslide removal and search operations but was temporarily delayed by blocked roads about 11 kilometers from the core disaster zone.

The team is clearing minor slope collapses on site while working to reopen access routes to the disaster area. It has also been working to establish water rescue routes using equipment such as pontoon bridges and boats to facilitate access to the affected area.

Following the disaster, the Jiangxi Provincial Committee for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief issued a Level-III provincial emergency response for disaster relief at noon on Saturday, as Typhoon Saudel had left around 161,500 residents affected in the province.

China's Ministry of Natural Resources raised its geological disaster response for Jiangxi from Level IV to III at 11 a.m. Saturday and dispatched a work team to the site to guide rescue efforts.

The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level-IV national emergency response for natural disaster relief and sent a work team and an emergency survey team with equipment, including slope radar, to assist with rescue operations.

China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.