Landslide traps 47 people in southwest China; 2 killed
Beijing/Kunming(PTI): At least two people were killed and over 40 others went missing after a landslide struck southwest China's mountainous Yunnan province on Monday.
The disaster struck the Liangshui village of Zhaotong city at 5:51 am Beijing time, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Over 500 residents were evacuated from the landslide-hit areas as the provincial commission for disaster reduction activated a Level-III emergency response for disaster relief, state-run CCTV reported.
Efforts were ongoing to rescue the people trapped under the landslide, official media reported, adding that two of the missing people found dead.
The 47 buried people were from 18 different households, rescue officials said.
More than 200 rescuers, along with 33 firefighting vehicles and 10 loading machines, were mobilised to search for the missing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an all-out search and rescue of the people missing in a landslide.
[We should] promptly organise rescue teams, make all-out efforts to search for missing individuals, and minimise casualties to the greatest extent possible,” Xi said, according to the report.
Xi, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called on party cadres to watch out for other natural disaster risks and hidden dangers “to effectively ensure the safety of people’s lives and property” as a result of the wave of cold weather that swept across southern China just three weeks before the Lunar New Year.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, too, ordered an all-out rescue effort in Liangshui and emphasised the need to maintain social stability, in light of the area’s high altitude and ethnic diversity.
“It is necessary to promptly evacuate the threatened population, handle resettlement properly, effectively ensure the safety of people’s lives and property, and maintain overall social stability,” he said, official media reported.
The cause of the landslide was not immediately known.
The local weather forecast said there will be light snow in the town on Tuesday, with the lowest temperature expected to reach -3 degrees Celsius, the report said.
47 villagers were buried in a landslide that occurred in Zhenxiong County of Zhaotong City, southwest China's Yunnan Province on early Monday, local authorities said. A search and rescue operation is currently underway. pic.twitter.com/ugDPG8XiMA
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) January 22, 2024
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
