A valiant official in China has been dubbed “Mud Buddha” after a photograph emerged of him covered in sludge while he was averting disaster by evacuating residents before a catastrophic landslide.
From the evening of May 17 to the early morning of May 18, a downpour hit Shanghongyan Village in Maguan county, southwestern Yunnan province.
At its height, the level of precipitation reached 256mm, the People’s Daily reported.
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Tian Ruliang, the village director, left home three times after 10pm on May 17 to check the rainfall situation.
At 3am on May 18, the water in a local river rose to dangerous levels.
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