The site of the landslide in Taining, Fujian Province. Officials warned that there could be more such disasters in the area due to heavy downpour. (Photo : Twitter)
The Chinese national government has urged its local officials to prepare for more potential natural disasters, as the country is expected to experience more rains with the peak of the flood season.
According to the Ministry of Land Resources (MLR), the country faces more risks of geological disasters during the current rainy season. The ministry then called on local governments to improve their risk assessment, particularly in places like construction sites, tourists spots and migrant worker communities.
The MLR made the call on Sunday, following a landslide that occurred at a construction site in Taining, Fujian Province, the Global Times reported.
Personnel from Taining's local fire department have already recovered 22 bodies from the site and have managed to find two people alive. A total of 14 people sustained injuries, three of which are sustained severe injuries. All are being treated at the Taining People's Hospital.
The MLR has already raised the emergency response management operations to level two, the second highest level, and sent experts to determine the cause of the disaster and assess other potential hazards.
The landslide was reportedly brought about by heavy downpour that started on Saturday which deposited 18 centimeters of rain in just 24 hours.
In an advisory, the National Meteorological Center said that heavy downpour is still expected not only in Fujian, but also in Jiangxi Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and urged residents to take the necessary precautions, CCTV reported.
According to China Earthquake Administration researcher Gao Jianguo, the number of geological disasters caused by frequent extreme weather has been exacerbated by increasing construction activity in disaster-prone regions. He also said that China's current geological hazard prevention map is lacking, as it only shows places where disasters have already happened.
To remedy the problem, the government needs to conduct a thorough survey to determine places with potential geological hazards, the researcher added.
