Ban on searches in epidemic fear
Source: Xinhua |
August 23, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
The death toll from the massive mudslides in Zhouqu County, in northwest China's Gansu Province, had risen to 1,435 as of yesterday, with 330 still missing, rescue headquarters said.
The county government issued a notice prohibiting locals from continuing to search for the missing, citing slim chances of finding more bodies and the mounting threat of disease.
Only one body was retrieved yesterday.
"After rounds of search, there is no trace of life at all in the mud-covered areas. As the bodies of the victims were highly decomposed, if the retrieval continues, it would be more likely to trigger disease outbreaks," the government directive said.
The government said the ban was issued after consulting experts, village officials and families of the victims.
A government spokesman said two weeks after the devastating disaster some survivors had not yet stopped searching for their loved ones.
Some people even hired helpers and machinery to search the debris for buried family members.
Epidemic risk
"The bodies have begun to rot after being buried for two weeks. Searching the debris risks an epidemic outbreak," the spokesman said.
In neighboring Sichuan Province, rescuers yesterday reopened a key road leading to a mudslide-hit county, which officials called an important step in speeding up relief and rescue efforts.
Traffic resumed on National Highway 213, linking provincial capital Chengdu to Wenchuan County, after emergency crews worked for nine days to clear the mudslide sludge and debris on the highway.
On August 13, mudslides struck parts of Wenchuan, cutting a section of the highway after torrential downpours pelted the Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba.
At least 15 people have been killed and 31 remain missing, according to the latest government figures.
Wenchuan was the epicenter of the May 2008 earthquake.
The county government issued a notice prohibiting locals from continuing to search for the missing, citing slim chances of finding more bodies and the mounting threat of disease.
Only one body was retrieved yesterday.
"After rounds of search, there is no trace of life at all in the mud-covered areas. As the bodies of the victims were highly decomposed, if the retrieval continues, it would be more likely to trigger disease outbreaks," the government directive said.
The government said the ban was issued after consulting experts, village officials and families of the victims.
A government spokesman said two weeks after the devastating disaster some survivors had not yet stopped searching for their loved ones.
Some people even hired helpers and machinery to search the debris for buried family members.
Epidemic risk
"The bodies have begun to rot after being buried for two weeks. Searching the debris risks an epidemic outbreak," the spokesman said.
In neighboring Sichuan Province, rescuers yesterday reopened a key road leading to a mudslide-hit county, which officials called an important step in speeding up relief and rescue efforts.
Traffic resumed on National Highway 213, linking provincial capital Chengdu to Wenchuan County, after emergency crews worked for nine days to clear the mudslide sludge and debris on the highway.
On August 13, mudslides struck parts of Wenchuan, cutting a section of the highway after torrential downpours pelted the Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba.
At least 15 people have been killed and 31 remain missing, according to the latest government figures.
Wenchuan was the epicenter of the May 2008 earthquake.
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