Armed police aid disaster relief efforts after landslide in SW China

BEIJING -- A total of 440 armed police have taken part in disaster relief operations on the border between Sichuan Province and Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China, after a landslide struck a section of a river in the area on Thursday.

The armed police helped with the evacuation of more than 4,000 residents in addition to carrying relief supplies and maintaining order in the disaster-hit areas.

Disaster relief materials including tents and quilts have been sent to the affected residents, while the armed police will continue to learn about the needs of residents from door-to-door and ensure all victims have access to shelter.

The landslide struck early Thursday morning in Bolo Township, which is located in Jomda County of Tibet's Qamdo City, forming a barrier lake in a section of the Jinsha River in the border area between Sichuan and Tibet. No casualties have been reported.

On Friday morning, another landslide hit the area, increasing the volume of the barrier lake. Water in the barrier lake had reached about 200 million cubic meters as of Friday afternoon, threatening areas up to 30 km away. The water in the lake began to overflow at 5:30pm.