BEIJING, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Rain-triggered mudslides in northwest China rose to 702 as of Tuesday, with another 1,042 people still reported missing, local authorities said.
Meanwhile, rescuers working with shovels, hoes and ropes pursued their search for survivors two days after the slide buried Zhouqu County in Gansu province, China Daily reported.
Chen Jianhua, party chief of the Gannan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, said 218 survivors were treated at local hospitals, while 41 more severely injured were transferred to medical facilities in Lanzhou, the province's capital.
Chinese soldiers used explosives to remove debris blocking the Bailong River Monday, a spokesman for the emergency rescue headquarters said.
With more rain forecast for later this week, officials said they feared natural dams could burst and were evacuating thousands of residents downstream as a precaution. UPI
