Man Is Rescued from China's Deadly Landslide


    24 December, 2015

    A 21-year-old man was pulled out alive Wednesday from the big landslide in southern China.

    Tian Zeming had been buried in piles of debris for 67 hours, said Chinese officials. It took rescuers three hours to reach him.

    Tian was weak and dehydrated when rescue workers found him, Chinese officials said. He told them his name and reported that another person was buried near him, Associated Press reported.

    Medical staff move landslide survivor Tian Zeming following surgery in a hospital in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province on Dec. 23, 2015. Rescuers pulled Tian from the rubble of a massive landslide in Shenzhen early on Wednesday. (Chinatopix via AP)
    Medical staff move landslide survivor Tian Zeming following surgery in a hospital in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province on Dec. 23, 2015. Rescuers pulled Tian from the rubble of a massive landslide in Shenzhen early on Wednesday. (Chinatopix via AP)

    But medical staff and rescue workers said the second person did not survive.

    Chinese officials said more than 70 people are missing after Sunday's landslide in Shenzhen. The landslide buried buildings under mud and construction debris.

    The BBC reported that at least four bodies had been recovered by Wednesday afternoon. Chinese officials said 5,000 rescuers were working to find the missing people.

    Doctors said that Tian, a migrant worker from Chongqing, suffered many broken bones and other injuries. They said his condition improved after three-hours of surgery.

    The landslide occurred when a man-made mountain of earth and construction waste collapsed following heavy rains.

    The Chinese government said it is investigating the disaster.

    Government controlled news media reported the District Government near the landslide site had reported safety concerns months before Sunday's disaster.

    I'm Mario Ritter.

    Joyce Huang reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

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    Words in This Story

    pile – n. a group of things that are put one on top of another

    debrisn. the pieces that are left after something has been destroyed

    rescuern. someone who tries to rescue people from a disaster or other bad situation.

    migrantn. a person who goes from one place to another especially to find work

    collapsev. to break apart and fall down suddenly

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