By Xinhua,
Yichang (China) : Disaster relief teams Sunday stretched to rescue more than 300 people in a village in central China that had been nearly totally buried under a massive mudslide.
Continuous rain triggered a landslide of 60,000 cubic meters of mud, which swept a village at the Three Gorges Dam area in Hubei province Saturday afternoon.
The rain had washed away 20,000 cubic meters of the mud in Xiaohe Village of Gaoyang township, Xingshan County, by Sunday morning, said a county government spokesman.
Chen Hua, the county head leading the rescue work, said the mud flow covered the playground of a primary school in Gaoyang, and damaged the dining hall and some classrooms.
No casualties were reported, since the school was closed over the weekend, said the official.
Up to 106 mm of rain had fallen so far. Weather experts said the rain would continue in coming days and relief staff expressed fear that rain will worsen the situation and make relief and rescue operation even more difficult.