Over 1,000 escape mudflow in southwest China after timely prewarning

CHENGDU, July 8 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,000 residents escaped a mudflow unscathed after a timely evacuation was undertaken following a prewarning in southwest China's Sichuan Province, local authorities said Thursday.

The natural resources department of Sichuan said mudslides occurred at seven sites in a valley in Muli County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, at 6:10 p.m. Monday following heavy rain.

Thanks to early warnings sent by mudslide monitoring devices at about 5:40 p.m., local authorities evacuated 1,042 residents from 251 families in half an hour, said the department.

Local authorities said that to reduce the damages caused by landslides and mountain torrents, monitoring devices have been installed in mountains that can automatically send out early warnings. Many villages have also deployed patrollers to help detect early signs of a geological disaster after heavy rain.