Zhouqu Landslide

From Wiki China org cn

A massive mudslide swept across Zhouqu County, Gansu Province, on Aug. 8, 2010, leaving 1,144 people dead and 627 missing, according to the latest figures (Aug. 13) released by Xinhua News Agency.

The landslides were triggered by torrential rains that hit the remote area on Aug. 7. The thick layer of mud, which leveled an area of 5 kilometers by 500 meters, crippled the roads and bridges and buried or crumpled buildings, either bungalows or apartments.

Premier Wen Jiabao visited Zhouqu after the disaster and exhorted rescuers to spare no efforts to find survivors. According to the BBC, more than 7,000 soldiers, firefighters and medical staff are at the scene of the landslide.

Mass evacuation is on the way as a new round of heavy rain is forecast to last through Aug. 13, potentially causing the lake in Bailong River to burst and flood the muddy land. So far, rescuers have evacuated 45,000 local residents. Torrential rains hit many parts of China in the summer of 2010, causing lethal floods that left 1,072 people dead and 619 missing nationwide.