China fights to dig out buried town

Rescuers yesterday continued to search through the rubble of a town devastated by the worst landslide to hit China in six decades, in spite of fears that a lake created by the disaster could burst its banks. More than 700 people died when mud and rocks engulfed the small town of Zhouqu in northwest Gansu province. More than 1,000 people are still missing.

A 52-year-old Tibetan man was pulled from a collapsed apartment yesterday, only the second person found alive since Sunday in a town buried in sludge up to seven metres deep in places. Engineers were yesterday hoping to drain the lake created when landslips blocked the river.

Officials have warned for years that heavy tree-felling and rapid hydro development were making the area more vulnerable to landslips.

Yesterday locals waited and wept beside buried and destroyed homes where their relatives and friends were trapped, hoping at least to find the remains of loved ones. "My niece is buried under there. She is a high school student, such a good girl", Yin Linfeng, 42, said. "She was buried in the rubble when she was looking after my house. I will not give up. I want to see her body if she is dead."