2010-08-13 07:11

Zhouqu resident Wang Xidai carries a coffin on Thursday as he wades through muddy debris caused by overnight downpours. [LIAO PAN / CHINA NEWS SERVICE]

ZHOUQU, Gansu - An overnight downpour on Wednesday triggered a fresh wave of floods and mudslides along the Bailong River in Zhouqu, leaving three more people missing.

The three people went missing when six houses were swept away in Xizangba village of Quwa township, which is about 50 km northwest of Zhouqu's county seat, a spokesman for the disaster relief headquarters said.

The landslide that first hit the county in Gansu province on Sunday has claimed at least 1,144 lives and left 600 others missing as of Thursday, making it the country's worst one in 60 years.

The mudslides formed a blockage on the Bailong River, raising the water level by 3 meters early on Thursday.

Five people also went missing after a rain-triggered mudslide hit Tianshui city near Zhouqu on Thursday.

The mudslide buried seven people, of whom two were rescued.

The provincial meteorological center said 15 to 30 millimeters of rain fell on Zhouqu from 9 pm on Wednesday to 8 am on Thursday. Heavier downpours forecast for the next 24 hours were expected to bring 40 to 60 mm of rain, and in some areas, up to 90 mm, it said.

Between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, rocks - some as large as cars - fell around the narrow road leading up to Zhouqu. Fresh mudslides also buried two-thirds of the road with dirt and mud. The debris crushed a vehicle on the road about 30 km from the county seat.

By Thursday morning, about 45,000 cubic meters of debris had reportedly covered the Lianghekou-Zhouqu road, the shortest route for bringing materials from Lanzhou, the provincial capital, to Zhouqu. Rescue headquarters had sent workers aided with heavy machinery overnight to repair the road.

Like many other mudslide victims, Luo Binghong had a sleepless night at a temporary shelter. "I sat all night listening to the sound of rain," Luo said as she huddled with three relatives on a wet bed.

At makeshift shelters at two middle schools, rainwater seeped in and soaked straw mats and carpets. Many victims chose to stay in the building corridors at night.

Local authorities pointed out nine potential geological danger sites in the county on Thursday and outlined routes to evacuate people to safe areas nearby.

Authorities have vowed to complete the reconstruction of all homes destroyed by the mudslides by next June.

"Local authorities will endeavor to complete repairs for all damaged homes by the end of November and complete rebuilding of all the destroyed homes before winter - or at the latest, by June next year," a spokesman for the Gannan Tibetan prefectural government said on Thursday.

Citing a circular issued by the provincial government on Monday, the spokesman said each mudslide-hit family in rural areas is eligible for a 20,000 yuan ($2,941) subsidy to rebuild its home if it has been destroyed, or 4,000 yuan if the home has been damaged. Each urban family whose home was destroyed can receive 25,000 yuan, he said.

In another part of Gansu, 250,000 residents of Chengxian county are also facing the threat of floods after overnight downpours raised the water level of the Donghe River, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.