Zhouqu County, China (CNN) -- There were homes here once but Yueyuan village is now a sweeping mud plain. Residents dig through the sludge where they think their bedroom once was.
Maybe there is still a loved one under there. Maybe he or she is still alive, though hopes of finding survivors in China's massive mudslides are fast dimming.
The death toll Wednesday soared to 1,117, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, though local residents believe that number to be higher.
Li Jinming had pulled up in his taxi when he witnessed the wall of mud and rocks rush through Yueyuan. Rescue teams found the body of his wife but they are still searching for his two sons. He draws a map of his house, and points out where he believes his boys might have been.
Anxiety, grief and the stench of death overwhelmed Zhouqu County in China's northwestern Gansu province, where torrential rains triggered the mudslides Sunday. Emergency teams have rescued 1,243 people but 627 people are missing, Xinhua said. CNN
