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| Shenzhen, Embodying China’s Growth, Falls Risk to It | |
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| SHENZHEN, China — Rescuers searched for survivors in a sea of red mud on Monday, a day after dirt and construction debris engulfed dozens of buildings in this city in southern China, the latest of several man-made disasters in recent years to lay bare the perils of the nation’s rapid growth. | SHENZHEN, China — Rescuers searched for survivors in a sea of red mud on Monday, a day after dirt and construction debris engulfed dozens of buildings in this city in southern China, the latest of several man-made disasters in recent years to lay bare the perils of the nation’s rapid growth. |
| Hundreds of emergency workers used bulldozers and earth movers to search a 94-acre area in a city where some residents had for years worried that the dumping of debris so close to their homes was a crisis waiting to happen. The massive wave of earth buried or toppled 33 buildings, including apartments, worker dormitories and factories. As of late Monday, 81 people were still missing. | Hundreds of emergency workers used bulldozers and earth movers to search a 94-acre area in a city where some residents had for years worried that the dumping of debris so close to their homes was a crisis waiting to happen. The massive wave of earth buried or toppled 33 buildings, including apartments, worker dormitories and factories. As of late Monday, 81 people were still missing. |
| “Everyone was yelling, ‘Run, run,’ and I didn’t take anything except my baby,” Chen Qing said, as she nursed her 1-year-old son in a shelter for survivors set up in a nearby sports center. “I don’t know who’ll help us now. Everything in our lives has been left in the mud.” | “Everyone was yelling, ‘Run, run,’ and I didn’t take anything except my baby,” Chen Qing said, as she nursed her 1-year-old son in a shelter for survivors set up in a nearby sports center. “I don’t know who’ll help us now. Everything in our lives has been left in the mud.” |
| On Tuesday morning, searchers pulled the first body from the disaster site, Xinhua, the official news agency, reported. | On Tuesday morning, searchers pulled the first body from the disaster site, Xinhua, the official news agency, reported. |
| The landslide was particularly unsettling, commentators said, because it occurred in Shenzhen, widely viewed as an ambitious, modern city that has hoped to rival its neighbor, Hong Kong. | The landslide was particularly unsettling, commentators said, because it occurred in Shenzhen, widely viewed as an ambitious, modern city that has hoped to rival its neighbor, Hong Kong. |
| It occurred about four months after explosions of toxic chemicals decimated a portside area of Tianjin, another coastal city that has envisioned itself as an engine for China’s economic rejuvenation. The blasts killed 150 people, and injured more than 700. | It occurred about four months after explosions of toxic chemicals decimated a portside area of Tianjin, another coastal city that has envisioned itself as an engine for China’s economic rejuvenation. The blasts killed 150 people, and injured more than 700. |
| Chinese news media have suggested that officials have allowed risks to fester, through corruption or laxity. The official response to such accidents, while often impressive in scale and speed, has done little to mute that criticism — in this case, by ignoring the danger from a growing pile of construction tailings and debris near factories and homes. | Chinese news media have suggested that officials have allowed risks to fester, through corruption or laxity. The official response to such accidents, while often impressive in scale and speed, has done little to mute that criticism — in this case, by ignoring the danger from a growing pile of construction tailings and debris near factories and homes. |
| “What is troubling about this accident is that it occurred in a first-tier city, Shenzhen,” said a commentary in The Beijing News, a widely read tabloid newspaper. “It is at the forefront of Chinese citizens in its level of modernization.” | “What is troubling about this accident is that it occurred in a first-tier city, Shenzhen,” said a commentary in The Beijing News, a widely read tabloid newspaper. “It is at the forefront of Chinese citizens in its level of modernization.” |
| On Monday, residents who had fled the ocher-red mud said the semirural area should never have been used to dump dirt and rubble from local construction projects. | On Monday, residents who had fled the ocher-red mud said the semirural area should never have been used to dump dirt and rubble from local construction projects. |
| “They started piling up the dirt and waste roughly two years ago,” Li Xigui, a 52-year-old metal craftsman who has lived in the area for 15 years, said in an interview. “I knew something would go wrong in the future.” | “They started piling up the dirt and waste roughly two years ago,” Li Xigui, a 52-year-old metal craftsman who has lived in the area for 15 years, said in an interview. “I knew something would go wrong in the future.” |
| He said that his home and adjacent workshop were swallowed up by the landslide, and that his mother had fractured a bone in her shoulder when her grandson yanked her out of the encroaching mud. | He said that his home and adjacent workshop were swallowed up by the landslide, and that his mother had fractured a bone in her shoulder when her grandson yanked her out of the encroaching mud. |
| Dump trucks had piled dirt on the area, an old quarry, creating an unstable pile ripe for problems, he said. “When you put lots of dirt and waste in a place like this,” he said, “the pile can easily collapse, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be in a rainy day.” | Dump trucks had piled dirt on the area, an old quarry, creating an unstable pile ripe for problems, he said. “When you put lots of dirt and waste in a place like this,” he said, “the pile can easily collapse, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be in a rainy day.” |
| A team of geological hazard experts reached similar initial conclusions, according to a report issued Monday by the Ministry of Land and Resources. The experts found that at the dumping ground for construction waste “the accumulation was large and too steep, causing a loss of stability and then collapse that led to the toppling of many buildings,” the report said. “The collapsed entity was a man-made pile, and the original hill did not slide,” it added. | A team of geological hazard experts reached similar initial conclusions, according to a report issued Monday by the Ministry of Land and Resources. The experts found that at the dumping ground for construction waste “the accumulation was large and too steep, causing a loss of stability and then collapse that led to the toppling of many buildings,” the report said. “The collapsed entity was a man-made pile, and the original hill did not slide,” it added. |
| Under Deng Xiaoping, Shenzhen grew from paddy fields in the late 1970s into a special economic zone for market-driven experimentation. It has increasingly moved into advanced industries like biotechnology and telecommunications. | Under Deng Xiaoping, Shenzhen grew from paddy fields in the late 1970s into a special economic zone for market-driven experimentation. It has increasingly moved into advanced industries like biotechnology and telecommunications. |
| In the Guangming New District, where the landslide struck, vegetable fields have been retreating, pushed back by spreading factories and neon-lit shops and restaurants. | In the Guangming New District, where the landslide struck, vegetable fields have been retreating, pushed back by spreading factories and neon-lit shops and restaurants. |
| In late 2012, when the newly appointed Communist Party leader, Xi Jinping, wanted to establish his bona fides as an economic innovator, he traveled to Shenzhen. On Sunday, Mr. Xi, now president, ordered officials to “make every effort to reduce the numbers of casualties.” | In late 2012, when the newly appointed Communist Party leader, Xi Jinping, wanted to establish his bona fides as an economic innovator, he traveled to Shenzhen. On Sunday, Mr. Xi, now president, ordered officials to “make every effort to reduce the numbers of casualties.” |
| China’s rapid construction growth has long created problems with the dumping of building waste and displaced dirt, often resulting in illegal, multistory piles of debris on the outskirts of cities that block waterways and bring dust and flooding. | China’s rapid construction growth has long created problems with the dumping of building waste and displaced dirt, often resulting in illegal, multistory piles of debris on the outskirts of cities that block waterways and bring dust and flooding. |
| A company based in Shenzhen that conducts site surveys had previously warned of dangers at the site, Chinese news outlets said. The company, Zongxing Environmental Technology, published an environmental impact assessment report in January warning of erosion risks that might cause landslides, according to The 21st Century Business Herald, a business news publication. | A company based in Shenzhen that conducts site surveys had previously warned of dangers at the site, Chinese news outlets said. The company, Zongxing Environmental Technology, published an environmental impact assessment report in January warning of erosion risks that might cause landslides, according to The 21st Century Business Herald, a business news publication. |
| The report, which was published on the company’s website, and a related notice on the website of the government of the Guangming New District appeared to have been deleted, the newspaper said. | The report, which was published on the company’s website, and a related notice on the website of the government of the Guangming New District appeared to have been deleted, the newspaper said. |
| A woman who answered the phone at Zongxing Environmental Technology said that the “relevant people are handling the incident” but declined to answer further questions. A spokeswoman for the Guangming New District Management Committee said that she was unable to answer specific questions and that all information would be given through the district’s microblog account and news conferences. | A woman who answered the phone at Zongxing Environmental Technology said that the “relevant people are handling the incident” but declined to answer further questions. A spokeswoman for the Guangming New District Management Committee said that she was unable to answer specific questions and that all information would be given through the district’s microblog account and news conferences. |
| Many residents recalled puzzlement giving way to fear, even panic, when the landslide struck. Some recalled the sound of a large blast, although it was unclear whether an explosion set off the slide, or was caused by it. PetroChina said that its gas pipeline through the area had not exploded, despite earlier reports that it had. | Many residents recalled puzzlement giving way to fear, even panic, when the landslide struck. Some recalled the sound of a large blast, although it was unclear whether an explosion set off the slide, or was caused by it. PetroChina said that its gas pipeline through the area had not exploded, despite earlier reports that it had. |
| Mo Xiaoqing, who dismantles old cars and sells their parts, has lived near the industrial park with her husband in a small apartment building. She said she saw bulldozers come every day to dump dirt in the former quarry, stopping only when it rained. | Mo Xiaoqing, who dismantles old cars and sells their parts, has lived near the industrial park with her husband in a small apartment building. She said she saw bulldozers come every day to dump dirt in the former quarry, stopping only when it rained. |
| Ms. Mo was chatting with neighbors on Sunday morning when they heard a large boom. “The noise halted for a while and then started again, and it got louder and louder,” she said. “We were joking that it must be some rich people lighting lots of firecrackers.” | Ms. Mo was chatting with neighbors on Sunday morning when they heard a large boom. “The noise halted for a while and then started again, and it got louder and louder,” she said. “We were joking that it must be some rich people lighting lots of firecrackers.” |
| Then, she said, they saw people running and warning others to flee. Only then did she realize a landslide was coming their way. “We were still in pajamas and slippers,” she said. “We had no time to get our stuff at home and immediately ran.” | Then, she said, they saw people running and warning others to flee. Only then did she realize a landslide was coming their way. “We were still in pajamas and slippers,” she said. “We had no time to get our stuff at home and immediately ran.” |
| By Monday night, rescuers had recovered seven survivors, but official news reports gave no details of confirmed deaths. A Shenzhen news website said that rescuers had received a call from a man trapped near a factory dormitory with eight other survivors, but there was no official confirmation of that report. | By Monday night, rescuers had recovered seven survivors, but official news reports gave no details of confirmed deaths. A Shenzhen news website said that rescuers had received a call from a man trapped near a factory dormitory with eight other survivors, but there was no official confirmation of that report. |
| Many of the missing people are likely to be migrant workers employed by factories near the collapsed hill. For now at least, those who escaped appeared too preoccupied with the immediate future to focus on questions of responsibility for the disaster. | Many of the missing people are likely to be migrant workers employed by factories near the collapsed hill. For now at least, those who escaped appeared too preoccupied with the immediate future to focus on questions of responsibility for the disaster. |
| Guo Minghao, a factory worker originally from Henan Province in central China, said he was eating in a factory canteen when he heard shouts urging people to flee. | Guo Minghao, a factory worker originally from Henan Province in central China, said he was eating in a factory canteen when he heard shouts urging people to flee. |
| “ ‘There’s been an explosion, the hill is collapsing,’ everyone was shouting,” Mr. Guo said. “Some of my friends were on a day off, so I ran to the dormitory to tell them to leave, and then we all ran,” he said. | “ ‘There’s been an explosion, the hill is collapsing,’ everyone was shouting,” Mr. Guo said. “Some of my friends were on a day off, so I ran to the dormitory to tell them to leave, and then we all ran,” he said. |
| On Monday night, he was preparing to sleep under an army-green, government-issue quilt in the district sports center. Like other workers gathered there, he wondered what would happen to his job, and the wages that he hoped to take home to his family during the Lunar New Year holiday in February. | On Monday night, he was preparing to sleep under an army-green, government-issue quilt in the district sports center. Like other workers gathered there, he wondered what would happen to his job, and the wages that he hoped to take home to his family during the Lunar New Year holiday in February. |
| “I don’t want to work here anymore, not after this disaster,” Mr. Guo said. “I don’t want to hang around, but what’s going to happen to our wages?” | “I don’t want to work here anymore, not after this disaster,” Mr. Guo said. “I don’t want to hang around, but what’s going to happen to our wages?” |