Mudslide kills 2 and leaves 10 missing in China after heavy rain from tropical storm Saudel
BEIJING (AP) — A mudslide killed two people and left 10 missing in eastern China, damaging a dozen houses following days of torrential rain brought by tropical cyclone Saudel, state media said Sunday.
The mudslide hit part of a village in Suichuan County in Jiangxi province early Saturday, prompting rescuers to rush to the scene and relocate residents to safer ground to prevent further danger, authorities said in a statement. One person pulled out was found dead, while two others were rescued alive and in good condition, it said.
Rescuers on Sunday morning found one of the missing people, who was dead among collapsed houses, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Typhoon Saudel made two landfalls in Zhejiang Province on Aug. 28 and made a third landfall as a tropical storm in Fujian Province Thursday, Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported. Both provinces neighbor Jiangxi.
In Fujian, local authorities said Friday that 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 overtopped and breached 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 from state broadcaster CCTV showed that some streets were turned into rivers, while rescuers deployed inflatable boats in their efforts.