UPDATE: May 10, 9 a.m. IST — The toll from the landslide in Taining County in China's Fujian Province rose to 34, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted local authorities as saying on Monday night. At least four people were still missing.
Original Story —
The bodies of at least 10 workers have been retrieved from the construction site of a hydropower project, which was hit by a landslide on Sunday, in Sanming City of China's Fujian Province, the Associated Press reported. At least 31 people are still missing.
About 100,000 cubic metres of mud and rocks buried the workers' temporary living area and offices at the site of construction in the Taining County around 5 a.m. on Sunday, state-run Xinhua quoted Taining County authorities as saying on Monday.
The identities of the deceased have not been confirmed as yet.
At least 13 people were also rescued from the site and admitted to hospital, Press Trust of India reported. Three of them are said to be in critical condition.
"We were still asleep when the mountains began to jolt very strongly and before we know it, sand and mud are flowing into our room. It's been raining all the time over the past couple of days and I didn't think it was a big deal," Deng Chunwu was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
More than 600 firefighters and police personnel were on the site clearing mud and debris, and trying to find the missing people. Sniffer dogs have also been sent to detect if people buried under the debris are alive.
Rescuers were trying to clear the road leading to the site of natural disaster and digging through the debris. An extension of the Chitan hydropower station, an affiliate of state-owned Huadian Fuxin Energy Limited Company, was under construction at the site since November 2015. The operations at the plant were expected to begin in August 2017.
