TOKYO, Aug 8 (KUNA) -- At least 127 people died in rain-triggered mudslides Sunday in a northwest China county, and rescuers are racing against the clock to save some 2,000 others still missing, state press reported. Heavy downpours triggered landslides and mud-rock flows in Zhouqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province, Sunday morning, Xinhua News Agency said. By 3 p.m. (0700 GMT), 76 people were also confirmed injured, said the Ministry of Civil Affairs, according to Xinhua.
About 45,000 people have been evacuated, according to a statement from the provincial civil affairs department. More than 680 residents have been rescued by local residents.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao instructed the government of Gansu Province and other related departments to spare no efforts to save lives. Wen arrived at Zhouqu County in the afternoon.
More than 300 homes in Yueyuan Village in the county were buried, the report said, adding that the number of casualties in village was still not known. The mud-rock flow has leveled an area about 5 km long and 500 meters wide in the county seat. The mudslides occurred at around midnight in Zhouqu County, when the residents were asleep, and a clogged lake formed on the Bailong River. Zhouqu County covers 3,010 square km and has a population of 134,700, about 33 percent of which are Tibetans. - Kuna