337 killed in China mudslides

BEIJING - At least 337 people were killed and 1,148 others still missing in the rain-triggered mudslides in northwest China’s Gansu province, an official said Monday.

Torrential rain Saturday night prompted an avalanche of sludge and debris to crash down on the county seat of Zhouqu Sunday morning, ripping houses off their foundations and tearing six-story apartment buildings in half, Xinhua reported.

A total of 218 people have received clinical treatment and 41 people who were severely injured had been airlifted to the provincial capital Lanzhou, some 650 km from Zhouqu, Chen Jianhua, party chief of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which administers Zhouqu County, said Monday night.

The mud-rock flow has levelled an area of about five km long, 300 metres wide and five metres deep in the county seat with more than two million cubic metres of mud and rocks, severely damaging power, telecommunication and water supply facilities.

About 45,000 residents have been evacuated, as mudslides have destroyed more than 300 homes and damaged another 700. Moreover, 3,000 homes have been flooded.

More than 10,000 troops, police and fire fighters are still racing against the clock in the search for survivors in the debris of the town flattened by mudslides.

The rescue efforts, however, could be affected as heavy rains are forecast for the next three days, Chen said.