(CNN) -- The death toll has risen to 137 as a result of massive mudslides in northwestern China, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Monday.
An additional 1,348 people are missing, the news agency said, citing the civil affairs department in Gansu Province.
The Chinese military used explosives to blast the blockage in the Bailong River, in Gansu Province, a spokesman with the emergency rescue headquarters told Xinhua. Excavators also were used to remove the debris and start a controlled release of the water.
Authorities report 76 people have been injured and about 45,000 have been evacuated from Zhouqu County in the country's northwest, according to a statement from the provincial civil affairs department.
The landslides occurred early Sunday morning after heavy rains started pummeling the area Saturday, authorities said. On Sunday afternoon, Premier Wen Jiabao and other government officials arrived at the mountainous region to survey the damage, according to Xinhua. CNN
