【英语生活】中国西藏山体滑坡 搜救工作仍在继续

Chinese authorities on Sunday reported little progress in the search for survivors from a Friday landslide that state media said buried 83 workers at a mining site in Tibet.

A total of 17 bodies had been retrieved following the landslide at a mine about 68 kilometers (42 miles) away from the Tibetan regional capital of Lhasa, the official Xinhua news agency said Sunday. The landslide struck early Friday morning, burying a workers' camp near the mine, it said.

State media highlighted the quick response by authorities as well as the attention paid by top leaders. Xinhua said China's newly installed leaders, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, called for a speedy response and all-out efforts to rescue survivors, prevent further incidents and root out the cause of the incident.

The coverage in state media highlighted the political sensitivities surrounding such disasters in China. Chinese officials similarly moved quickly five years ago when a deadly earthquake struck the province of Sichuan and left more than 80,000 people dead. Mr. Li's predecessor, Wen Jiabao, appeared within hours after the 2008 quake, winning initial approval from a Chinese society increasingly connected online.

By contrast, many in the public criticized online what they said was the government's slower response to a high-speed train collision in 2011 that killed 40 people and injured nearly 200 others. The crash put China's rapid rail and infrastructure build-out under scrutiny.

The mine is owned by an affiliate of China National Gold Group Corp., a state-controlled company that bills itself as China's biggest gold producer. The Hong Kong- and Canada-listed affiliate, China Gold International Resources Corp., CGG.T +1.59% said the landslide hit an exploration area around its Jiama mine, operated by a wholly owned local subsidiary, in Tibet's Pu Lang Valley near Lhasa City.

China Gold International said its senior management was in the middle of a financial roadshow, which it had now canceled.

Rescuers were hampered by snowy weather as well as the 4,600-meter (5,000-yard) altitude at the site, Xinhua said. It said equipment had been moved in and roads widened to help the recovery efforts. The rescue square includes about 3,500 rescuers, 300 large-scale pieces of machinery and 10 search dogs, Xinhua said.

The landslide released two million cubic meters of rock and soil with a length of more than three kilometers (2 miles) and a depth of up to 50 meters (54 yards), Xinhua quoted Chinese rescue experts as saying. It also reported difficulties at the scene from the sheer amount of debris.

More than one million cubic meters of debris had been combed as of Sunday evening, it said.

中国有关部门周日说，针对上周五发生的山体滑坡事故的搜救工作几乎没有取得进展。国有媒体曾报道说，这次事故导致西藏一个矿区的83名工人被埋。

Reuters图为救援人员在山体滑坡事故现场搜寻幸存者。据国有媒体报道，这次事故导致西藏一个矿区的83名工人被埋。新华社周日报道说，山体滑坡后已经找到17具遗体，这个矿区距离西藏自治区首府拉萨大约68公里。报道说，山体滑坡是上周五早上发生的，掩埋了矿区附近的一处工人宿营地。

国有媒体着重报道了中国有关部门的快速反应，以及高层领导人的重视。新华社说，包括国家主席习近平和总理李克强在内的中国新上任的领导人要求快速反应，尽最大努力抢救被困人员，防止发生次生灾害，查明滑坡原因。

国有媒体的报道凸显了在中国此类灾难的政治敏感性。五年前，中国四川省发生严重地震，导致八万多人死亡，中国官员同样迅速地采取了行动。李克强的前任温家宝在地震发生几个小时内亲临灾区指导救灾工作，赢得了通过网络日益紧密相连的中国公众的赞扬。

相比之下，许多人认为2011年温州动车追尾事故中政府反应较迟缓，于是在网上对此进行了批评。温州动车事故导致40人死亡，将近200人受伤。事故让中国铁路和基础设施的快速扩张受到严格审视。

此次发生事故的矿区由国有中国黄金集团公司(China National Gold Group Corp.)的一个子公司所有。中国黄金集团自称是中国最大的黄金生产商。这家在香港和加拿大上市的子公司中国黄金国际资源有限公司(China Gold International Resources Corp.)说，山体滑坡发生在甲玛矿区附近的采矿区，这个矿区由其在拉萨附近普朗沟的全资子公司运营。

中国黄金国际资源有限公司说，事故发生时，该公司的高层管理团队正在进行融资路演，目前已经取消。

新华社说，救援行动因雪天及4,600米的高海拔而受阻。新华社说，为开展搜救行动，一些设备被运到搜救现场，道路被拓宽。新华社报道说，现场有约3,500名救援人员、300台大型设备和10只搜救犬。

新华社援引中国救援专家的话报道说，这次山体滑坡的土石方量约200万立方米，长度超过3公里，土石方堆积厚度和深度最高达50米。新华社还报道了此次山体滑坡规模带来的救援难度。

报道说，截至周日晚间，救援人员已经挖掘了100多万立方米土石。