China landslide: More than 700 people confirmed dead

More than 700 bodies are now accepted to accept died in a massive barrage in north-west China - authoritative it one of the deadliest incidents so far in the country's affliction calamity in a decade.

A agitated chase is continuing for the added than 1,000 bodies still missing.

Buildings were hit by a bank of mud so boss that barrio seven storeys aerial channelled like paper, says the BBC's Chris Hogg, in Gansu province.

He says rescuers are analytic by duke in the remote, aerial region.

A 52-year-old man was pulled animate from the bits added than 50 hours afterwards the disaster, and added accomplishment teams say they accept heard "very faint" signs of activity elsewhere, accompaniment media reported.

Chinese arch Wen Jiabao has apprenticed rescuers to accumulate attractive until they acquisition every aftermost survivor.

But as the hours pass, hopes of award survivors diminish.

"Around me are ancestors of missing bodies sitting dazed, shocked. Each of them has stories," our contributor says.

One woman has absent her bedmate and three boyish children. Until she saw their bodies with her own eyes she did not appetite to accept it, he adds.

The afterlife assessment was revised upwards on Tuesday from 337, and admiral say that amount is accepted to rise.

The acclimate anticipation for the advancing canicule is for abundant rain, which could bassinet altruistic work, and there is additionally the achievability of added landslides, says the BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing.

Supplies active low

The landslides in alien Zhouqu county, Gansu, were triggered by torrential rains that hit the breadth backward on Saturday.

The blubbery band of mud levelled an breadth 5km (3 miles) by 500m, Xinhua said.

Landslide bits blocked a river which again access its banks, sending water, rocks and mud bottomward several hillsides and on to homes.

Soldiers accept accursed through the blockage on the Bailong river, blurred the baptize akin of an ambiguous basin created by the landslide.

Thousands of bodies accept been abandoned from after villages that could be engulfed if the accustomed dam bursts.

The landslides came as China was disturbing with its affliction calamity in a decade, with added than 2,100 bodies appear asleep or missing and millions added displaced nationwide.

President Hu Jintao led a affair of chief ministers on Tuesday on affairs to handle the crisis, Xinhua account bureau said.

More than 7,000 soldiers, firefighters and medical agents are now at the arena of the landslide.

The Chinese arch has visited Zhouqu, advancement accomplishment workers on in their efforts and abating those affected.

Authorities accept beatific tents, aliment and water, but some food were appear to be active low because anchorage and bridges into the breadth accept been destroyed.