1 dead, 8 still trapped in SW China's flooded power station

Rescuers work at the building of a power station in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Jan. 12, 2022. (Xinhua)

CHENGDU, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- One was confirmed dead and eight were still trapped after a flooding occurred in the building of a power station in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Wednesday.

The flooding that took place at around 1:40 p.m. trapped 11 maintenance personnel in the power station. By 9 p.m., two of them were rescued and one was confirmed dead.

Some buildings and vehicles around the power station were also flooded, and a section of a nearby national highway was cut off.

More than 400 people have been dispatched to rescue the trapped personnel, and 150 residents have been evacuated.

Rescue work is still underway.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has dispatched a working group to guide the rescue efforts and investigate the cause of the accident.

Huang Ming, minister of emergency management, has called for efforts to determine the exact number of people missing and urged all-out rescue efforts.

Efforts should also be made to assess the safety of the power station and surrounding areas to prevent secondary accidents, Huang said.