14 Aug 2010

Mudslides continue in China

6:19 am on 14 August 2010

Torrential rain has brought landslides to more areas in China, as relief teams in Zhouqu county battle against the bad weather.

Teams are continuing to recover bodies in Gansu province, where landslides last weekend killed more than 1100 people. Another 600 are still missing.

Fresh mudslides have blocked a road being used to bring in supplies, and emergency shelters have been flooded.

More rain is forecast for the area in the next two days.

Officials say 1144 people are now known to have died in Zhouqu when mud and rock-flows crushed or buried hundreds of buildings.

Heavy rain has been sweeping across central and western China for several days.

The deluges triggered fresh landslides in Longnan city and Tianshui county, near Zhouqu, leaving 24 people dead. Xinhua news agency said the same number were missing.

The agency also reported mudslides in Mianzhu county in Sichuan province have killed five more people and left 500 trapped in rural areas.