No epidemic outbreaks after fatal landslide
16/9/2008 18:07
No epidemic outbreaks have been reported since a landslide killed at least
254 people in the northern Shanxi province last week, said the head of the
provincial health administration.
According to Gao Guoshun, no illnesses or
food poisoning cases had been reported, as of yesterday, in or around the site
of the mining dump collapse.
Almost 500 medical workers and health experts
have been working on epidemic prevention measures in four townships, said Feng
Lizhong, a disease-control official with the administration.
The workers are
helping people treat garbage, sanitize their houses and ensure water and food
safety. Feng added, children and the elderly received vaccinations against
infectious disease.
Gao said such measures will continue for three
months.
The mud-rock flow occurred in Shanxi's Xiangfen county when a
retaining wall of an unlicensed Tashan Mine crumbled on Sept. 8. Huge amounts of
iron ore waste burst out, burying downstream residents along with a busy outdoor
market.
As of Saturday, rescuers found 254 bodies. The State Administration
of Work Safety said today, 159 bodies had been identified.
Thirty-four people
remain in the hospital. Four critical patients had been upgraded to stable
condition.
An initial investigation found the mine collapse was due to
negligence.The waste ore dump was built in violation of regulations and it had
few safety inspections. Further investigation was underway by a State Council
investigation team.
In the meantime, the State Council, China's Cabinet, has
ordered a nationwide safety check at similar production sites around the country
to root out other potential problems.
Xinhua
|
