And those numbers are expected to rise as rain continues to fall in many Chinese regions, Jiang Jianjun, director of the Geological Environment Department of the Ministry of Land and Resources, told China Daily yesterday.

Jiang said enhanced public awareness of the threat of geological disasters will play an "essential" role in the country's future battles against geological disasters.

While geological disasters, in many cases, cannot be completely avoided, the loss of life and property can be much reduced, "if people pay enough attention."

Jiang cited a recent tragedy in Danba, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, as an example.

If local people had paid enough attention to warning signs of rock changes on the top of surrounding mountains hit by constant heavy rain, they might have had a forewarning of pending disaster and moved to safety, said Jiang.

Of the 51 villagers officially classified as missing after a mudslide engulfed Danba, only one body has so far been recovered, a source with the Disaster Relief Office of the Ganzi Tibet Autonomous Prefecture said.

The body of a woman tourist from Shanghai was recovered earlier.

The search for the others is still going on.

Jiang said the ministry intends to step up its efforts to respond, and in some cases act, to prevent geological disasters with engineering techniques.

"Using engineering methods to fix dangerous rocks has been proved effective. Otherwise, many areas such as the Three Gorges dam area, would have suffered more serious geological disasters against the backdrop of this year's excessive rainfall," he said.

Lying in the heart of the dam area, Zigui County of central China's Hubei Province witnessed a severe mudslide on Saturday. Fourteen people are confirmed to have died, while another 10 are missing.

The State Council yesterday issued a circular asking relevant government departments, including those of land and resources, water resources, meteorology, construction and civil affairs, to join forces to better prevent geological disasters.

It also required local governments in disaster-stricken regions to focus their attention on providing for those people affected by the natural disasters.

(China Daily July 17, 2003)