奇速英语

四川茂县发生特大山体滑坡，造成大量人员伤亡！

    As heavy machines removed debris and men searched the rubble for survivors on Sunday, relatives from nearby villages sobbed as they awaited news of their loved ones. "It was as if the strong winds were blowing by, or a big truck passed by," Tang Hua, a 38-year-old woman from a nearby village said, "The houses were shaking, as if there were an earthquake. We rushed out and saw much smoke. With a thundering sound, the smoke suddenly lifted. We realized it was a landslide." "As we ran for safety, we looked this way and saw the village flattened," she said.
      The landslide carried an estimated 18 million cubic meters of earth and rock —more than 7,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools — when it slid down from steep mountains. Some of it fell from as high as 1.6 kilometers. It buried 1.6 kilometers of road and blocked a 2-kilometer of a river as it completely wiped away the village, which was once home of more than 100 people.
      “There were 142 tourists in the village around the time the landslide hit, and all were alive, ”said Xu Zhiwen. Three members of a family from the village were rescued five hours after the landslide struck on Saturday. Qiao Dashuai, 26, said that he and his wife awoke to cries from their 1-month-old son at around 5:30 a.m.
      "Just after we changed the baby's diaper, we heard a big bang outside and the light went out," Qiao said. "We felt that something bad was happening and immediately rushed to the door, but the door was blocked by mud and rocks." Qiao said his family were swept away by water as part of a mountain collapsed. He said they struggled against the water until they met medical workers who took them to a hospital.
        Experts on state media said the landslide was likely caused by rain. Scientist He Siming said that the 2008 earthquake could have done structural damage to the mountains in Xinmo. He said the rain could have been the external cause of the landslide.