On the afternoon of September 26, a dangerous situation occurred in a land leveling project in Luoyuan County, Fujian Province, leading to a landslide and mudflow, causing three people to go missing. According to some villagers, there is a sand and gravel factory on the mountain where the landslide occurred.
Reported by the official Chinese media Xinhua on September 27, at 17:03 on the 26th, a landslide and mudflow incident happened in the Bilixiang village of Luoyuan County, Fujian Province, resulting in three missing persons. Currently, rescue work is underway, and the cause of the accident is under investigation.
The Luoyuan County Emergency Command reported that as of 23:40 on the 26th, two houses were damaged, and three people could not be reached.
On September 27, a villager at the scene told a reporter from “Extreme News” that when the incident happened, she was working in her store and heard a loud noise. When she went outside, she saw mud surging down the mountain. She quickly fled in the opposite direction, stating, “As soon as we saw the mud, we ran quickly in the opposite direction. The mud was chasing us, but because the speed of the mud slowed down and we ran fast, we were okay.” The mudflow resulted in mud piling up more than one meter deep in the shop, and nearby villagers’ houses collapsed.
“At first, it sounded like an explosion, then it was like the sound of water hitting when a flood passed through,” another villager said. He owns a store at the foot of the mountain where the incident occurred, and the mud in the shop was knee-deep. Currently, the store is within the closed area, so they cannot enter temporarily.
According to “The Paper” news, locals confirmed that the incident happened near the Bilixiang village, adjacent to Luoyuan Bay. The village health center, police station, and supermarket are nearby, with some buildings having mud and gravel deposits at the base. Parts of the 228 National Road in the vicinity have implemented traffic control. Official reports on the night of the 26th stated that the blocked roads had been cleared, but “Extreme News” on the 27th afternoon stated that this section of the road is still under control.
It is worth noting that local villagers informed “Extreme News” that there is a sand and gravel factory on the mountain where the landslide occurred. According to reports, the sand and gravel factory belongs to Fuzhou Chengshi New Building Materials Co., Ltd. Public records show that the company is registered in Bilixiang and has been involved in sand and gravel processing as a construction unit for local land leveling projects. Journalists attempted to contact the company, but no one answered the phone.
“The Paper” mentioned that according to the data from the China Meteorological Administration, Luoyuan County had clear weather on September 26, with temperatures ranging from 25°C to 35°C, light winds with excellent air quality. There was no significant rainfall on that day, unlike the typical weather conditions for debris flows caused by heavy rain.
At the time of reporting, the authorities had not yet disclosed the cause of the incident or clarified whether the land leveling construction or the operations of the sand and gravel factory were related to the landslide.