34 landslide bodies found as more storms expected

Rescuers remove bodies from the scene of a fatal landslide that hit a hydropower construction site in Fujian province on Sunday. XIA DAPENG/ FOR CHINA DAILY

Rescuers have found 34 bodies but four people remain missing after a massive landslide hit a hydropower construction site in Fujian province on Sunday.

The bodies were recovered as floods triggered by rainstorms hit a number of southern and central areas of China on Monday.

The landslide, which happened at about 5 am on Sunday in mountainous Taining county, unleashed about 100,000 cubic meters of mud and rocks, burying a temporary shed at the construction site and damaging offices.

The China Meteorological Administration warned that Taining county could be hit by more rainstorms on Tuesday. Days of heavy rain have already hampered rescue efforts.

Thirteen injured people rescued after the landslide are being treated at a hospital. All are in stable condition.

A mudslide in Nanping, Fujian province, struck two residential buildings, trapping five people early on Monday. Four were found dead by rescuers in the afternoon, Fujian Daily reported.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters warned that water levels of rivers in Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region could continue to rise in the next few days after rainstorms.

Huang Qiyu, commander of the Fujian Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, told Xinhua News Agency at the landslide site that a plan to increase the flood discharge from a reservoir had been postponed.

"We are trying our best to devote more time to the rescue," he said, adding that accelerating flood discharge would pose a threat of flooding to the rescue site.

The State flood control authority has issued flooding alerts for eight rivers in Fujian, including the upper reaches of the Minjiang.

In Hunan province, floods triggered by rainstorms killed two people and affected more than 615,000, leaving urban areas in Yongzhou and Chenzhou under water.

In the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, flooding forced the closure of schools and all scenic spots in Yangshuo county.

The China Meteorological Administration said on Monday evening that some areas of Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi could be hit by more rainstorms on Tuesday.

Zhang Li in Nanning, Wen Xinzheng in Changsha and Yang Jun in Guiyang contributed to this story.

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn