Sichuan warns of punishment for false reports

All-out efforts are being made in the search for people who went missing after a massive flash flood in Sichuan province, and anyone faking information will be punished severely, the provincial government said.

The flood, which was caused by a heavy rain, led to four deaths at the construction site of an expressway in Jinyang county on Aug 21. It left 48 missing. Despite multiple alerts of heavy rain and risk warnings, people in charge of the site failed to evacuate workers on time.

Afterward, they falsified the number of people lost in order to escape more serious punishment, according to investigative results released by local authorities on Wednesday. Five people were detained for the suspected crime of failing to report or falsely reporting a safety incident.

The impact of concealing such information is severe, and anyone involved should be punished severely, officials said at a news conference on Wednesday night.

Rescue teams will expand their search areas to find the missing as soon as possible, authorities said. Secondary disasters such as landslides will be monitored to prevent further injury or loss of life.

Construction companies are being urged to improve emergency management capabilities and to take not chances when it comes to protecting people's lives, local authorities said.