Thousands of PLA personnel deployed to flood-hit Rongjiang

More than 9,200 military personnel and 14,000 militia members have been mobilized to help with flood rescue in Rongjiang county, Southwest China's Guizhou province, a defense spokesman said on Tuesday.

Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, announced the mobilization in an online news briefing to address the response to the major floods, which struck Rongjiang in late last month.

"A natural disaster is an order for action, and the disaster-hit area is the battlefield for the troops," Jiang said, noting that the forces of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police rushed to the affected region to fight the floods and mitigate the losses.

In addition to the personnel deployment, a total of 90 sets of large engineering equipment have been mobilized to participate in tasks including search and rescue, relocation of residents, road clearance, removal of mud and disinfection, he said.

"People's safety is the top priority," said Jiang. "The people's military will faithfully live up to its fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, earnestly safeguard the lives and property of the people, and resolutely fulfill all tasks entrusted by the Party and the people."