BEIJING, May 22:  Two separate landslides struck Changshi and Guowa townships in Dafang County in southwest China’s Guizhou province on Thursday, trapping about 12 persons, local officials said.

  Two people were trapped in Changshi, while around a dozen residents in Qingyang Village of Guowa were trapped across six residential buildings involving eight households in the landslides that hit at around 3 am and 9 am respectively, according to preliminary assessments by local authorities.

Policemen, emergency responders and firefighters rushed to the affected areas to carry out search and rescue operations, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

They are being assisted by sniffer dogs and are equipped with life detectors, drones and relevant tools, among other devices.

Rescue operations in Guowa are being hindered by steep slopes and mountainous terrain. The exact number of trapped individuals is yet to be verified, local authorities revealed.

China’s Ministry of Emergency Management promptly activated a Level-IV emergency response to geological disasters and has dispatched a working team to the site to guide rescue operations.

The ministry urged swift efforts to verify the situation, carry out search and rescue operations, and also guard against secondary disasters.  (PTI)