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Chance to survive 'dim' for 107 buried in landslide

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Some 107 people from 38 families had a "slim" chance to survive after being buried by a rainstorm-triggered landslide Monday afternoon in southwest China's Guizhou Province, according to officials at the local rescue headquarters.

Rescuers clean up debris from the landslide which fell onto the roads leading into Dazhai Village Monday, June 28, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

The landslide occurred at 2:30 p.m. in Dazhai Village, Gangwu Township of Guanling County, said a spokesman for the government of Anshun City, which administers Guanling.

"The chance of survival for the buried villagers is quite slim," said Luo Ning, mayor of Anshun City, who led the rescue.

The rescue work had to be suspended on Monday evening due to a rainstorm which had been pounding the township since Sunday night and could trigger additional landslides, said headquarters officials.

More than 600 soldiers and local residents participated in the rescue work, they said.

Rescuers were also cleaning up debris from the landslide which fell onto the roads leading into the village.

The mud-rock flow rushed 1.5 km to the Guangzhao Hydropower Station on the Beipan River, said Wang Mengzhou, secretary of the Guanling County Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Villager Cen Chaoyang said he rushed out of his house when he heard the landslide and managed to escape.

"I called for the others to flee, but it was too late. I saw some people behind me being buried," Cen told Xinhua in a telephone interview.

Huang Anquan, a 68-year-old villager from Dazhai whose legs were injured, was carried on his son's back to escape the site.

"When I saw the water in the river near my home raised meters high, I know there was a landslide. We rushed out immediately," Huang recalled.

Luo said 387 villagers living near the site buried in mud had been evacuated to safe communities because the nearby rain-soaked mountains also likely to collapse.

Among the evacuated, 252 villagers sought shelter in the homes of relatives and friends. The government has begun providing disaster relief, including drinking water, food and tents, to the remaining evacuees, Luo said.

In addition, more than 1,200 villagers in six communities of Dazhai were waiting to be evacuated, he said.

Rains have plagued the Gangwu Township for one week with a record daily precipitation of 257 mm Sunday, according to the local meteorological bureau.

If forecasts prove true, the township would receive an additional 30 to 40 mm of rainfalls Tuesday.

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