Beijing, Feb 8 China has allocated 80 million yuan (about 11.16 million US dollars) to support disaster relief and recovery efforts after a landslide in the southwestern Sichuan Province buried 10 houses and left over 30 people missing on Saturday.
Some 50 million yuan, allocated by the National Development and Reform Commission from the central budget, will be used to restore infrastructure and public facilities in affected areas, according to authorities.
Also on Saturday, the Ministry of Finance, in conjunction with the Ministry of Emergency Management, allocated 30 million yuan from central natural disaster relief funds to support Sichuan in its rapid organisation of rescue efforts.
The funds will be spent on search and rescue work, risk assessment and emergency response measures, and investigating potential secondary-disaster hazards to minimise casualties, according to the ministry, Xinhua news agency reported.
The landslide occurred at about 11:50 am in Jinping Village, which is located in Junlian County in the city of Yibin. Two people were rescued in the afternoon, and approximately 200 people have been evacuated to safety after the landslide buried 10 houses and left over 30 people missing.
The finance ministry has instructed Sichuan's provincial finance authorities to disburse the funds to affected areas promptly, and to maximise their effectiveness.
Taking the latest developments of the situation into consideration, the Ministry of Natural Resources has upgraded an emergency geological disaster control response from Level III to Level II, and dispatched a team led by Vice Minister of Natural Resources Xu Dachun to guide on-site relief efforts.
A Level I geological disaster emergency response, the highest level, was initiated in the province at 3:30 pm on Saturday.
China has a four-level emergency disaster relief response system, with Level IV being the lowest level and Level I the highest.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has also ordered all-out search and rescue efforts to minimise casualties.
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