China mudslide kills 2 in persistent harsh weather

BEIJING - A mudslide hit a village in northwest China, killing two people, while two more were missing, state media said on Tuesday (July 11), the latest such disaster amid heavy downpours battering several regions.

A string of landslides, avalanches and rockslides over the last few weeks has spurred government officials to launch emergency response measures and mobilise local departments to combat such disasters.

Firefighters caked in grey mud and surrounded by rushing waters rescued trapped people in pictures on social media from Gansu province, the site of Monday's mudslide.

Seven people were also injured in the incident in the village of Zhangzigou in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, broadcaster CCTV said.

Local officials went to the site in a rescue effort that saw 336 people from 76 affected households evacuated to a resettlement site, state media said.

President Xi Jinping had urged greater efforts to protect citizens against the spate of extreme weather.

It is expected to bring more heavy rain in the southern part of Gansu over the next few days, the China Meteorological Administration said on social media.

As harsh weather, from dangerous heat to hailstorms and torrential rain, pummels parts of China, weather officials renewed an alert on Tuesday against severe convective weather over vast stretches of the country, state media said.

From early on Tuesday through Wednesday, weather officials have warned thunderstorms, gales and hail are expected to sweep the provinces of Hebei, Hubei, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shanxi and Sichuan, said Xinhua, the official news agency.

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