Seven people were confirmed dead and two are still missing after a flooding occurred at a power station building in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday.
The flooding took place at around 13:40 and trapped 11 maintenance personnel in the power station. By Thursday afternoon, two of the trapped people were rescued while seven were confirmed dead.
Some buildings and vehicles around the power station were also flooded and a section of a nearby national highway was cut off.
As of 15:30 Thursday, more than 500 people have been dispatched to rescue the trapped personnel and carry out relevant emergency responses.
Rescuers at the site said the geographical conditions around the power station have made it difficult to locate the missing workers.
The power station is located only about one kilometer from a conjunction of two streams, respectively the Daduhe River and one of its tributaries.
The emergency command team said they will expand the search area from the tributary, where the power station sits on, to Daduhe River.
Snowfall during the night at an altitude of over 2,000 meters also added to rescue difficulties, according to on-site rescue forces.
Drainage operations are ongoing, as the water has been ebbing in the underground powerhouse. By Thursday noon, rescuers were still working to pump out the water flooding the lower level.
