Mechanized excavation to drain Yunnan quake lake - Xinhua

[JSCh]

Mechanized excavation to drain Yunnan quake lake
(Xinhua) Updated: 2014-08-09 20:48

LUDIAN - The arrival of specialist heavy machinery has allowed workers to begin racing at full speed to drain an earthquake-formed barrier lake which is threatening residents of Yunnan Province with flooding.

The machinery has made a huge difference to work to dig a deep canal through a wall of the lake and cause the water level to subside, said Chen Jian, director of the provincial water resources bureau, who is overseeing the excavation work at the site, on Saturday.

The barrier lake is located near the border of Ludian and Qiaojia, which were at the center of the earthquake and in which most of the deaths occurred. It was formed when 12 million cubic meters of landslide rubble blocked the Niulan River, and has already flooded more than 370 homes.

Chen said the speed of the lake's swelling has slowed down, after workers used dynamite to expand a drainage tunnel belonging to a hydropower station located 600 meters upstream from the barrier lake. The drainage tunnel is diverting part of the river's flow away from the lake.

On Saturday morning, the water level in the lake was increasing by a few centimeters per hour, as compared with 60-80 centimeters per hour in the past few days.

Chen said the river's flow in the past few days has also become more stable as there have been no heavy downpours in the region.

In the past seven days of search and rescue work, it had been difficult to transport large machinery to the site. Rescuers helped evacuate more than 8,100 local residents away from the river's reaches.

Chen said the blockages are mostly big rocks. Explosions have been set to blow them up, while heavy machinery is important for excavation.

A headquarters dedicated to the quake lake is eyeing opening the eight meter-deep canal through the blockage before Tuesday.

中国解放军工程兵用浮桥向堰塞体运输挖机时，突然遭遇余震，余震造成堰塞湖上方山体滑坡，落石飞滚而下，击中水面，落在浮桥四周，场面如战场大片中的炸弹袭击，场景紧张到让人无法呼吸。

Google Translate:
Chinese People's Liberation Army Corps of Engineers when going to earth-formed lake with a pontoon to transport digging machines, suddenly confronted with aftershocks, aftershocks above the lake caused landslides, falling rocks rolling down fly, hit the water and landed on the boardwalk around the scene like a battlefield blockbuster bomb attacks , the scene of tension to the people can not breathe.

 

[United westand]

not sure why you must create a solely thread for this ...

 

[JSCh]

To show why PLA is the most loved and respected group in China today.

 

[Nike]

not sure why you must create a solely thread for this ...

much better than any Vietnam related thread we had until today

You can learn a lot of thing from this thread for humanity surely.

 

[JSCh]

Soldier mourned in China quake zone - China Military Online English Edition

(Source: Xinhua) 2014-08-09

　 　LUDIAN, Yunnan, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- More than 100 soldiers and residents in Longtoushan Township, many of them in tears, bade farewell to Xie Qiao Friday, a 24-year-old soldier whose body was retrieved four days after he went missing on a rescue mission.

　　A team of armed police rescuers discovered a body floating on a barrier lake at around 9 a.m. Thursday, and it was soon confirmed to be that of the border policeman.

　　Xie went missing Monday when he swam a barrier lake in search of survivors after a strong earthquake struck Longtoushan in southwest China's Yunnan Province Sunday. He was only five meters from the shore when he was struck by a falling rock.

　　A brief and solemn farewell ceremony was held at midday as a minibus carrying Xie's body made its way slowly through the township. A local resident scattered paper money, a tribute to the dead, along the road.

　　A border police officer spoke to the crowds, who stood silent on both sides of the street. "Xie Qiao is our hero and our comrade-in-arms. He comes back..." Soldiers saluted, some bursting into tears. Villagers, many of whom did not even know who Xie was, showed their respects.

　　Xie was among the first rescue troops to arrive in Longtoushan, at the epicenter of the 6.5-magnitude quake which has killed at least 617 people.

　　Xie was one of many soldiers who dug out villagers buried in the debris of their own homes and transported them to makeshift treatment sites along precipitous mountain roads.

　　On Monday afternoon, a father and his son asked Xie's rescue team to help search their wife and mother. Arriving at the village, a barrier lake blocked the way.

　　"We are here to rescue people. I am young and can swim. Let me swim the river first," Xie said before he jumped into the river.

　　A native of eastern Fujian Province, Xie joined the army in 2008. He became a medical worker in a border police hospital after graduating from military college. His parents feel rightly proud of their handsome, intelligent son.

　　"He has done very well in the army. He is frugal and sent us money every month," said Xie's father Xie Xishuang.

　　Troops are widely loved and admired by Chinese citizens. When the quake struck, thousands hastened to the affected area. They have played a major role in the rescue.

Editor:Yao Jianing

 

[United westand]

To show why PLA is the most loved and respected group in China today.

Yes, they are beloved.

 

[JSCh]

Yunnan county mourns quake victims
(Xinhua) 07:26, August 11, 2014


Rescuers mourn the quake victims at the memorial service in Ludian County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Aug. 10, 2014. A 6.5-magnitude quake that struck Ludian County on Aug. 3 has left 617 people dead and 112 missing. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

A memorial service was held on Sunday in Ludian County of southwest China's Yunnan Province for the victims of the massive earthquake that hit the area a week ago.

At 10 a.m., locals and rescuers stood in silence to mourn the 617 people killed in the 6.5-magnitude quake that struck Ludian on Aug. 3. Some presented white and yellow chrysanthemums to pay a tribute to the deceased. Another 112 are still missing.

While people gathered in public spaces for three minutes of silence, drivers sounded their car horns in an equally powerful tribute.

"I am expecting those who lost their loved ones to survive doggedly," said Ke Guoxian, a teacher at the Third Elementary School of Ludian County.

"I am so touched and moved that so many people rushed to help us," said Ma Siying, a fourth-grader at the school.

Armed police officers and soldiers took off their caps to mourn.

Workers even took a brief break from the urgent job of draining a quake-formed barrier lake on Ludian's border with Qiaojia county before it breaks its banks and causes a secondary disaster.

But right after the three minutes, they restarted their excavators to continue digging a canal through a wall of the lake.

"We have made great progress in forming a flood relief channel through the hard rocks," said Zhan Bin, a rescuer from the Armed Police Hydropower Engineering Troops at the site.

A headquarters dedicated to the quake lake is eyeing opening the eight meter-deep canal through the blockage before Tuesday.

According to the provincial weather station, heavy rain will pound the quake zone in the next three days, likely causing landslides above the barrier lake.

Another person who went right back to work after the ceremony was Ma Yonggui, an ethnic Hui villager.

In the past week, Ma has called on 33 households of Hui minority people to set up a canteen serving halal food to all villagers and rescuers.

"There is no fixed dining time and we serve warm meals to anyone who comes at anytime," said Ma.

 

[JSCh]

Rescuers and local residents mourn the quake victims at the memorial service in Longtoushan Township of Ludian County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Aug. 10, 2014. A 6.5-magnitude quake that struck Ludian County on Aug. 3 has left 617 people dead and 112 missing. (Xinhua/Lin Yiguang)

People mourn the quake victims at the memorial service in Ludian County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Aug. 10, 2014. A 6.5-magnitude quake that struck Ludian County on Aug. 3 has left 617 people dead and 112 missing. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

 

[JSCh]

18th August, the local quake victims saying thank you and farewell to PLA.

 

[JSCh]

 

[TaiShang]

That's the People's Army.