CCTV9英语新闻：Death toll rises to 34 in E China landslide, 4 missing

Following Sunday’s deadly landslide in Taining County in eastern province Fujian, the search continues for four people still missing. Thirty-four bodies have been found. More than a dozen were rescued, with three in intensive care. The landslide was triggered by days of heavy rain, and it hit a hydro-power station which was still under construction.

Rescuers carry a body of victim at the landslide site in Taining County, southeast China's Fujian Province, May 9, 2016. The death toll has risen to 34 with four people still missing after a landslide in Taining County in east China's Fujian Province on Sunday, local authorities said Monday night.(Xinhua/Zhang Guojun)

After days on end of heavy rain, devastation came to the the mountainous county of Taining. At about 5 a.m, 100,000 cubic meters of mud and rocks came hurtling down, burying the living quarters at a power plant construction site. Most workers were sound asleep.

What used to be a road is now covered with huge boulders. Suddenly, an alarm sounded, all personnel had to evacuate for the time being, fearing another landslide.

Another urgent task is to clear the roads leading to the site so that more help can come.

“Once this road is cleared, it becomes an vital pathway for saving lives. It also allows heavy machinery to pass through,” said Fan Jiaqin, chief of Taining Transport Bureau, said.

More than 600 rescuers, dozens of excavators are on site, working against intermittent rainfalls, mud and debris.

Both President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have ordered rescuers to do everything in their power. A work team led by the State Council was sent to Fujian to oversee and help.