Tuesday. December 22, 2015. Last Sunday, in an industrial park in southern China; a great mountain of earth and debris of various origins collapsed, producing a landslide and traces.
In this regard, the Minister of Lands and Resources; said that this incident occurred due to a mountain of dirt, bits of cement, and other rubbish that builders had piled up over the past two years, against the slope of a hill about 100 meters high; collapsing due to heavy rains in the region near Hong Kong and leaving the ground unstable.
The number of missing persons rose to 91 (59 men and 32 women); while 33 buildings were totally or partially buried. The avalanche of earth and stones covered an area of 100,000 square meters with a layer of mud six meters thick.
After the landslide, a gas pipeline exploded, causing a trail of debris of about ten hectares and three minor injuries. More than 1,500 people participate in the rescue efforts. The Deputy Secretary General of the Government of the city of Shenzhen, mentioned in a press conference that more than 900 people were evicted from the area before the avalanche; act that reduced the amount of human losses.
A group of rescuers reported that they have signs of survivors at three points in the industrial park. For this reason, they were sent a hundred fire trucks, four drones and 13 tracking dogs to search for people under the rubble. In one of these points, there are two dormitory buildings for workers who live in them; but apparently they were evicted before the incident.
In one of these points, there are two dormitory buildings for workers who live in them; but apparently they were evicted before the incident.
Impressive photographs can be seen in a regional newspaper, in which a leaning and partially destroyed five-story building stands out; surrounded by a large layer of mud and brown earth in the industrial park.
In the following video from the EFE Agency YouTube channel, you can see the scope of this tragic incident:
It is worth mentioning that this serious disaster is a product, once again; of human error, and of the indifference on the part of competent organisms in taking measures that guarantee environmental safety, in the face of increasing industrial activities.
China is one of the countries that has experienced great economic growth in the last three decades. Nevertheless, This growth has been at the cost of increasingly marked environmental deterioration.. For example, many of China’s major cities suffer from chronic air pollution. A few weeks ago in Beijing a red alert was raised due to the high concentrations of pollution in the environment. The Chinese government is then expected to establish development policies that respect the ecosystem.