On December 10th, a massive landslide occurred in Yongjing County, Gansu Province, burying 45 households of farmers’ residences and causing an estimated direct economic loss of about 41.35 million yuan. However, it wasn’t until December 14th that the official news was released, sparking dissatisfaction among netizens.
According to videos posted by netizens, the landslide took place in Huangci Village, Yangaogou Town, Yongjing County, Linxia Prefecture, Gansu Province. Local netizens shared comments, saying, “There was a bit of a landslide starting at noon on December 10th, and the villagers evacuated quickly. The major landslide occurred at night, so there were no casualties. My grandfather’s house was buried, and my uncle’s house was also almost buried and is now uninhabitable. These past few days, my grandfather has been lamenting the loss of his lifelong home.”
Other netizens also expressed sorrow, with one saying, “The place where I grew up overnight no longer exists, only to be seen in dreams from now on.” Another lamented, “My beautiful homeland has turned into a hell on earth.”
A local villager told Da Ji Yuan reporter, “My relatives’ house, who are very close to us, got buried. This isn’t the first landslide; their previous house was buried, and now this landslide happened again.”
The villager also mentioned that the village had been advising residents to move and build houses in different locations. Their relatives had moved to a new spot after the previous landslide but hadn’t been able to renovate the house due to lack of funds. Now, with the current situation, “that area is already unsafe. The villagers need to be resettled completely.”
As reported by CCTV News, the severity of the disaster is classified as massive. As of 6:00 PM on the 13th, it was estimated that the landslide had a width of 390 meters, a length of 722 meters, a thickness of 24 meters, a volume of 6.77 million cubic meters, and a sliding distance of 310 meters. The landslide has now stabilized.
The local emergency response team said that 45 households of farmers’ residences were buried, and 240 mu of farmland below the terrace and some infrastructure were damaged. The initial estimate of direct economic losses is around 41.35 million yuan, but fortunately, no casualties were reported as the danger was spotted in time. Over 90 homeless villagers have been relocated to hotels. The cause of the landslide is still under investigation.
The delay in reporting the disaster by the authorities has stirred frustration among netizens. Many criticized, “In the face of disaster, local media remained silent.” “The news on the 10th was reported on the 14th.” “To be honest, facing natural or human-made disasters is not something to be ashamed of… Turning a blind eye to the truth is truly shameless.”