Death toll rises to 35 in E China landslide

Rescuers search at the landslide site in Taining county, East China's Fujian province, May 9, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

TAINING - The death toll has risen to 35 with one person still missing following a landslide in Taining county in East China's Fujian province on Sunday, sources with Taining county authorities confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

The landslide occurred at about 5 am on Sunday in Taining county, when about 100,000 cubic meters of mud and rocks flowed downhill, burying a temporary shed at a hydropower station construction site and damaging its offices.

Rescue work is still under way.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters warned that water levels of rivers in Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region could continue to rise in the next few days after rainstorms.

Huang Qiyu, commander of the Fujian Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, told Xinhua News Agency at the landslide site that a plan to increase the flood discharge from a reservoir had been postponed.

"We are trying our best to devote more time to the rescue," he said, adding that accelerating flood discharge would pose a threat of flooding to the rescue site.

The State flood control authority has issued flooding alerts for eight rivers in Fujian, including the upper reaches of the Minjiang.

In Hunan province, floods triggered by rainstorms killed two people and affected more than 615,000, leaving urban areas in Yongzhou and Chenzhou under water.

In the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, flooding forced the closure of schools and all scenic spots in Yangshuo county.

The China Meteorological Administration said on Monday evening that some areas of Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi could be hit by more rainstorms on Tuesday.