Weekend Flooding and Massive Landslides Claim Nearly 1,200 Lives in China

Heavy rains on Wednesday lashed a remote section of northwestern China as the death toll from weekend flooding that triggered massive landslides jumped to 1,117 and the hopes of finding more survivors faded.

Photo: Weekend Flooding and Massive Landslides Claim Nearly 1,200 Lives in China

At least 627 people were still missing, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday night, citing local officials.

The National Meteorological Center warned there was a "relatively large" chance of more landslides in the coming days, as the rain was expected to grow heavier, with up to 3 1/2 inches (90 millimeters) forecast for Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Moderate rain fell on Wednesday in a part of northwestern China’s Gansu Province, slowing efforts to find survivors and to deliver food and other aid to survivors who have lost homes from the floods.

Heavier rain was forecast for the area for the rest of the week, the China Meteorological Association said. Nearly 2.5 inches was expected to fall in some parts of Gansu on Thursday, and lighter rain was expected into the weekend, the agency said.

Heavy rains set off a landslide last weekend that wiped away large blocks of homes in Zhouqu County in the province. The debris poured into a river and dammed the waterway, causing it to flood and submerge parts of the area, New York Times reports.