The tremendous impact of last week’s landslide in Shenzhen that has still left over 70 victims unaccounted for can be seen in these before and after pictures taken by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation (NASG).

The landslide was caused by a enormous pile of industrial waste piled against a hill that had been accumulating for two years, thought to have become unstable through rainfall. The Ministry of Land and Resources said, “The pile was too big, the pile was too steep, leading to instability and collapse.”

Covering a vast area of 380,000 square meters (455,000 square yards) and up to 10 meters deep, the landslide engulfed over 30 buildings, causing some of them to topple.

The three-dimensional images were taken on Wednesday.

Here’s a comparison photo published by BBC News earlier this week:

Meanwhile, other aerial photos show some of the 170 excavators used in the rescue effort, now involving some 3,000 people:

So far, only one person has been successfully rescued alive from the landslide.

The post The Shenzhen Landslide: Before and After appeared first on The Nanfang.

Lin is the first victim to be rescued alive from the landslide. An updated list compiled by rescue workers on Tuesday shows that 76 people, 50 men and 26 women, are still believed to be trapped in the rubble.

Lin and another victim were discovered at 3:40am, however only Lin was alive. After being rescued, Lin was immediately given a protective helmet and hooked up to an IV.

Sunday’s landslide was the result of an enormous man-made pile of industrial waste that had been piling up for over two years. The Ministry of Land and Resources said, “The pile was too big, and the pile was too steep, leading to instability and collapse.”

Covering a vast area of 380,000 square meters (455,000 square yards) and up to 10 meters deep, the landslide engulfed over 30 buildings, causing some of them to topple.

There are more than 4,000 rescue workers involved in the rescue effort, along with 331 pieces of engineering equipment, 190 excavators, and 76 dump trucks.

The post Shenzhen Landslide Survivor Rescued After Being Trapped For 67 Hours appeared first on The Nanfang.

While this sentiment runs throughout China, the media isn’t shy about leading popular opinion. Chinese state-run newspaper the People’s Daily does not want the Paris terror attacks to overshadow a deadly landslide that coincidentally happened at the same time, and it does so by urging its readers to choose one over the other.

Twenty-five people died when a landslide struck the village of Lidong near the city of Lishui, Zhejiang at 10:50 on Friday night. Only one person has been rescued from the landslide so far, while another 12 victims remain unaccounted for. Twenty-seven Lidong homes below an adjacent mountain were buried, with another 21 flooded.

Landslides are a common occurrence in China that have derailed trains, blocked train tracks, capsized boats in the Yangtze River, and have caused numerous fatalities during south China’s annual rainy season. It’s a problem that keeps happening in China, but with the Paris terror attacks attracting world-wide attention on Friday night, the Lishui incident is at risk of being ignored in the daily news cycle.

That’s where the People’s Daily intervened by sharing a Weibo micro-blogging post at around 8pm on Saturday. The post compares the two tragic incidents:

People’s Daily Weibo Opinion: Cry for Paris, but don’t forget to cry for Lishui as well.
The Paris terror attack has shocked the world. Terrorists are the enemy of the entire word which is united in its humanity to defeat it. Cry for Paris, but don’t forget to cry for Lishui as well. A landslide occurred in Lidong village, Yaxi County, Liandu District, Lishui, Zhejiang. The latest news reports there are nine dead from the disaster, with another 28 victims unaccounted for. Every life that is taken away in a disaster is valuable; please direct your concerns and prayers towards Lishui.

Even though many Chinese have shown sympathy towards the people of France, many of the top-voted responses said deaths from the Paris terror attacks are simply not as important as those from the Lishui landslide, two incidents that were otherwise separate and unrelated before the People’s Daily Online made the connection.

Here are what some Chinese people had to say in response to the People’s Daily Online Weibo post:

(highest rated comment)
洛水柳畔：
I don’t cry for Paris, I pray for that whore the Virgin Mary to curse them. I only pray for Lishui. 

Fally章：
Pray for your own compatriots! France supports Tibet independence!

春晖大地：
Some people these days only know how to concern themselves with the outside world. They think that everything outside the border is great. If you think that it’s so great in other countries, then you should immigrate! If you’re going to be spouting off your opinions, then you should show some concern about your own country. China is not worse than other countries!

O福星高照O：
Cry for Paris? From where do I have such emotion? I am only sympathizing with them! I only cry for the tragic deaths of my compatriots!

king1however：
The perspective of the masses is directed by the media. Don’t forget this, because the people won’t forget this. 

应西堤：
Even more importantly, don’t forget about Tianjin.

努力使自己微笑：
The running dogs of capitalism have gone to lick France.

Even though Chinese President Xi Jiping has made an official statement saying that China is devoted to fighting terrorism, and the Oriental Pearl Tower lit up its exterior in the colors of the French flag, the feeling that the Paris terror attacks were stealing attention away from China’s own domestic tragedy have been spreading online.

In a CCTV report about the Lishui landslide that made no mention whatsoever about the Paris terror attacks, netizens used the opportunity to compare the two incidents in much the way that the People’s Daily Online had done:

鉴翔师：
I ask the municipal government of Shanghai to shine their lights for the victims of the Lishui landslide. I also ask the network of the addicted running lap dogs of the Virgin Mary to shout aloud ‘May heaven protect Zhejiang’. I also ask that the traitors belonging to the media outlet Caijing as well as others to pray for the victims of Lishui.

Lr19970808：
Hey, Oriental Pearl Tower, why do you pray for foreign countries, but not for China?

神的奥斯坦丁：
My compatriots (who died in the Lishui landslide), even though you didn’t die in a terror attack, you are still Chinese people. The Oriental Pearl Tower won’t shine its lights for you. When I return home I will light a candle for you… 

Then there’s this comment:

Don’t the lives of Chinese people matter?
On November 13, Paris suffered an unprecedented terror attack that led to the deaths of some 140 people. On television, French President Francois Hollande showed how moved he was by the attack by the shakiness of his voice. What is unacceptable is that the 2009 terror attack in Urumqi, in which 197 people died and 1700 people were hurt, was far more severe than in Paris. However, the French government showed no anger or “shaky voice” at this time, but instead interfered with China trying to implement the death penalty upon these terrorists.

It may seem like a minor miracle to get Chinese to actively care about the terror attacks in Paris, but there is one thing that may come to pass. Since the attacks occurred on Friday, there has been no contact with 27 year-old Chinese graduate student Liu Anyu, drawing fears that he may be one of the victims who succumbed in the attacks.

The post Chinese Nationalism Dulls Sympathy for Paris Terror Attack Victims appeared first on The Nanfang.

The landslide caused a massive wave that capsized 21 boats moored at a nearby harbor, while another 21 boats drifted away after being knocked free of their restraints. The China National Search and Rescue Center reported that 13 boats, all small-scale watercraft and mostly fishing vessels, sank in the incident.

A preliminary search showed there were no people on board the anchored ships at the time of the landslide. The resulting wave carried away one person who remains unaccounted for. The Yangtze River Navigational Affairs Administration reported that four other people were injured, one of whom remains in critical condition.

The post Photos: Massive Landslide Sinks Boats Off Yangtze River appeared first on The Nanfang.

Twenty-one people were hurt and sent to hospital, fortunately none with life threatening injuries. The landslide basically destroyed the village, razing 77 buildings.

Approximately 200 emergency rescue workers including military staff, the police and firefighters are on the site. Rescue worker are searching through the rubble and debris by hand.

According to local sources, the mountain has had frequent landslides in the past.

Photo: China News 

The post Landslide Ravages Small Guizhou Village appeared first on The Nanfang.

The landslide was caused by heavy rain. It hit train T171 at around 5am on Thursday near Shakou, in Foshan, about 20km north of the City of Qingyuan in Guangdong.

The train had just left the station at Nanchang and was headed towards Guangzhou. Pictures taken at the scene show dirt coming in through the train windows, covering the train walls.

The passengers are reported to have been evacuated. Emergency response teams have been sent out.

Photos: Foshan Daily, Guangzhou Daily

The post Beijing-Guangdong Train Derailed by Landslide appeared first on The Nanfang.

Dubbed the “storm of the century”, the latest in a series of storms that has battered Guangdong Province since the beginning of May has caused fatalities and widespread damage from flooding, landslides, and sinkholes.

This is a series of pictures from Yangcheng Evening Report and Xinhua that focuses on the hardest-hit areas of Conghua and Zengcheng as well as the Township of Dubu and Qigong, and the village of Jiangdong.

Photos: Yangcheng Evening Report,  Xinhua/News.cn via cri.cn

The post “Storm of the Century” Batters Rural Guangdong With Flooding and Landslides [PICTORIAL] appeared first on The Nanfang.

A total of 800,000 people throughout Guangdong have been affected by the rain, with a total accumulated precipitation in the City of Shanwei recorded at 628mm.

Sixteen major roadways have been closed due to the rain throughout the province.

In Guangzhou alone, four people have died and one is missing from the flooding on May 23, reports Guangzhou Daily Report. Districts particularly affected by the storm include Zengcheng, Conghua, Baiyun, and Huadu. The estimated loss to the local economy is RMB 700 million; 6,810 houses have collapsed and 206,000 mu of croplands have been destroyed. 220,500 Guangzhou residents have been adversely affected by the storm with some 42,500 people evacuated.

A 21 year-old student of the Nanfang College at Sun Yat-sen University named Pan Jinxiang is one of the reported fatalities. Pan fell into one of the many sinkholes and drowned after the flooding receded. All students were reportedly evacuated on Friday. Classmates say Pan may have drowned near construction performed by a real estate developer.

Other Guangdong urban centers hit by the storm include Zhaoqing and Qingyuan. Storm-ravaged rural areas include some 30 townships. Disaster relief and anti-flooding measures have been initiated by the three levels of local government.

In Zengcheng, the 80 year-old Zeng River Bridge (also known as the East Gate Bridge) was destroyed by rising flood waters on May 23 at 7:40pm. Built in 1932, the Zeng River Bridge had been destroyed twice before, and rebuilt three times since. A driver named Zheng Guoqing blocked access to the bridge and tried to warn other people from crossing when he felt it buckling underneath his feet. Minutes later, the center of the bridge collapsed.

The forecast for Guangzhou on Monday is clear skies and warm temperatures with some areas experiencing scattered showers.

The threat of flooding on Monday is focused in northern Guangdong as well as Jiangxi and Hunan Provinces. However, Guangzhou will again be targeted by the storms on Tuesday and Wednesday, mostly in the afternoon, reports Accuweather. Due to the ground already saturated with rainwater, more flash flooding is expected to return.

Photos: Southern Metropolis Report via Weibo, Guangzhou Daily Report via Weibo, Guangzhou Daily via Weibo, Yangcheng Evening Report (via Weibo), Guangzhou PSB via Weibo, Shenzhen Traffic Police via Weibo

The post 15 Dead in Latest Storms to Batter Guangdong, Five Killed in Guangzhou appeared first on The Nanfang.

UPDATE 2, 8:48pm May 23, 2014: Six people are confirmed dead after getting caught in a rain-triggered landslide in the village of Longshi, Heping County, Guangdong. Initially, the incident left two dead, two injured and three missing; however, three victims recovered today had passed away as had a victim taken to hospital.

Meanwhile, two people are reported dead in Huaiji, Zhaoqing in a landslide that also injured three children.

UPDATE 1, 5:20pm May 23, 2014: As of 4:49pm, delays have been reported at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport lasting at least an hour for 64 flights; additionally, 14 outbound flights and 19 inbound flights have been cancelled. As such, an airport blue alert has been issued. The customer hotline for Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport: 020-3606 6999

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A torrential rainfall has made Conghua District in the City of Guangzhou a disaster zone as a red alert weather warning continues to be in effect for the area as of 2:12pm today.

Wenquan and Liangkou County are among the worst hit areas by the storm with some residents reporting water and electricity have been cut off. The villages of Daxi, Shiling, and Xitou are said to be particularly affected, including Wenquan Middle School.

Many roads have been blocked as flooding and landslides have occurred throughout the area. A landslide is reported to be obstructing a 1 km stretch of the #355 County Road from Jinyezi Hotel in Zengcheng to South Kunshan with both lanes blocked. Elsewhere, flood waters reported as high as 80cm are blocking major six lane roads.

Nanfang College at Sun Yat-sen University has been hit particularly hard by the rainstorm. Several buildings and streets of the campus have been by flooded. Two sinkholes have been reported to have opened up in the school, one taking place in front of dormitory H24. Pictures depict the flooding of dormitories. University students were initially told to remain where they were and wait for flooding to subside, but have now all been evacuated.

This is what the storm looked like yesterday afternoon in Guangzhou, bringing the night to the day:

And here’s a view from Dongguan:

Photos: Guangzhou Daily Report via Weibo (2), People’s Needs of Zhongda Nanfang School Weibo, Guangzhou Conghua Police via Weibo, Nanfang Report via Weibo, Yangcheng Evening Report via Weibo and Jinyang Network, Beautiful Flowers of Dongguan via Weibo

The post Eight Dead as Guangzhou Pulverized by Flooding and Landslides [PICTORIAL, UPDATED] appeared first on The Nanfang.

As a direct result of the torrential rain that fell on Southern China from May 8-12, Shenzhen has suffered an economic loss of more than RMB 80 million with a total of 25,531 residents affected by the flooding, reports Yangcheng Evening News.

Furthermore, it is reported a total of 2,986 people have been relocated, 10 houses have collapsed, and some 11.97 thousand square kilometers of crops have been destroyed.

Relief efforts to aid disaster victims are already underway.

Two Shenzhen storm disaster areas have seen residents rescued from potentially dangerous flooding.

A landslide occurred next to the Zhuguang Society Chuanbao Building on Taoyuan Street in Nanshan District in which 100 people were relocated.

Elsewhere, some 230 people were relocated when a low-lying area at Pinghu Street and Bantian Street in Longgang District became flooded.

Rain is expected to continue until May 19, with heavy showers giving way to moderate showers.

Service on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen high-speed railway resumed normal operations as of May 12.

Other Guangdong cities hit hard by the rainstorm include Zhongshan and Jiangmen, as have the provinces of Hunan and Jiangxi, leading to some half a million people stricken by the disaster.

Photos: China Daily

The post Rain to Continue as Shenzhen Flood Disaster to Cost RMB 80 Million appeared first on The Nanfang.