Emergency response activated after landslide in SW China

BEIJING - Chinese authorities on Monday initiated a national emergency response after a landslide hit Southwest China, leading to the formation of a barrier lake.

The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Emergency Management jointly activated a level-IV emergency response, the lowest level, on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.

A landslide hit the border area between Sichuan province and Tibet autonomous region on Nov 3, leading to the formation of a barrier lake blocking a section of the Jinsha River.

A joint work team had been dispatched to the barrier lake area to guide and assist emergency rescue work.

By 6 a.m. Tuesday, a total of 67,449 people had been relocated in Sichuan, Tibet and the neighboring Yunnan, according to local authorities.