Landslide victims mourned in SW China

CHENGDU - A memorial service was held on Wednesday for 161 people who died or went missing in a landslide that hit a village in Southwest China's Sichuan province during the previous week.

About 500 police, doctors, officials, residents and volunteers attended the service at the Dujiangyan No. 1 Middle School Wednesday morning, the seventh day after the disaster.

According to Chinese tradition, the seventh day after one's death is an occasion for the deceased's relatives to mourn the passing of their loved one.

A rainstorm-triggered landslide buried 11 homes in the village of Sanxi in the city of Dujiangyan last Wednesday. Rescue operations ended on Monday after rescuers found no signs of life in the affected area.

Forty-four people were confirmed dead and another 117 others went missing in the landslide.

Sichuan, which saw unprecedented downpours last week, has been on high alert for geological disasters due to the recent rain. Two devastating earthquakes that occurred in 2008 and 2013, respectively, have also raised the risk of natural disasters in the province.

There are 41,400 areas in Sichuan that are at risk for geological disasters, the most of any provincial-level region in China, according to the provincial land and resources department.