Mudslide in China death toll rises to three, nine missing

The death toll from a mudslide in eastern China yesterday rose to three after days of torrential rain brought by Typhoon Saudel.

Nine others were still missing.

The mudslide hit part of a village in Suichuan County in Jiangxi Province early Saturday, damaging a dozen houses, and prompting rescuers to rush to the scene and relocate residents to safer ground to prevent further danger, authorities said in a statement.

A drone view shows construction machinery clearing a road to a mudslide-hit village in Jiangxi Province’s Suichuan County in China yesterday.

Photo: cnsphoto via Reuters

More than 5,300 people in the country were relocated to safer places.

Separately, state broadcaster CCTV reported that two people were killed in Hunan Province in south-central China following downpours brought by the typhoon.

The report did not specify the cause of the deaths, but said the rain triggered landslides and other disasters.

Saudel made two landfalls in Zhejiang Province on Aug. 28 and a third landfall as a tropical storm in Fujian Province on Thursday last week, Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported.

In Fujian, local authorities on Friday said multiple residents were left unaccounted for after days of heavy rain, Xinhua reported.

The exact number is unclear, but more than 100 houses collapsed in Huating Town in Putian City, it said.

A dike was breached on Thursday afternoon, flooding villages and trapping residents, it added.

About 600,000 residents have been evacuated from risky offshore and onshore areas in Fujian as of Friday night, Xinhua reported.

Images CCTV showed that some streets were turned into rivers, while rescuers deployed inflatable boats in their efforts.