Fresh landslides rocked another area of China yesterday, sweeping through a mountain town in the southwest of the country after days of heavy rains, leaving at least one person dead, 90 missing and 40 others injured.

The mudslides hit a remote village in southwest China's Yunnan Province early yesterday, forcing more than 1,000 people to evacuate their homes, local authorities said.

Sixty-three trapped people have been rescued. Among them were the 40 injured - 10 severely - after the mudslides struck Litoudi Village of Puladi Township in the Drung-Nu Autonomous County of Gongshan at about 1:30am, said a spokesman with the government of Lisu Autonomous Prefecture of Nujiang, which administers Gongshan.

It was the latest effect of the torrential rains that have wreaked havoc across China this summer, incurring the worst flooding and landslides in decades.

Power supplies and telecommunications in the area, except for the village, were restored by 6pm, the spokesman said.

Direct economic losses were estimated at 140 million yuan (US$20.6 million), he said.

More than 1,100 rescuers were searching for the missing. Most of the missing were employees of the Yujin Iron Mine and local villagers, he said.

The provincial government sent tents, quilts, overcoats and clothes to the affected area.

The mudslides span about 300 meters in width, villagers and rescuers said.

At least 10 trucks carrying iron ore and 21 houses were buried, said Zhong Zhifang, a spokesperson for local border troops involved in the search and rescue operation.

The mudslides also destroyed a bridge and blocked parts of the Nujiang River flowing through the mountains, lifting the water level in the upper reaches by up to 6 meters, said a statement from the Yunan Provincial Emergency Response Office yesterday.

A massive mudslide on August 8 in Zhouqu County, in northwestern" target="_blank" title="a.西北的；自西北的">northwestern Gansu Province, left 1,287 people dead and 457 missing.

On June 26 in Puladi, a mudslide killed 11 people at the construction site of a hydropower station.

More mudslides, as well as other disasters, may be ahead. Heavy rain is forecast to hit China in the coming four days, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters warned yesterday.

The rain will hit eastern northwest China, Sichuan basin, northern China and northeastern China, the agency said.

The areas, especially Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Henan provinces and Chongqing Municipality, should take more measures to guard against rain-triggered disasters, including mountainous flooding, landslides and mud-rock flows, the headquarters said.

It urged the mudslide-hit Gansu and Sichuan provinces to increase their efforts to fight further possible disasters while carrying out relief work in the mudslide-stricken areas in Zhouqu and Wenchuan.

• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
• missing [´misiŋ] a.缺掉的；失踪的 (初中英语单词)
• remote [ri´məut] a.遥远的；偏僻的 (初中英语单词)
• province [´prɔvins] n.省；领域；范围 (初中英语单词)
• rescue [´reskju:] vt.&n.救援；挽救 (初中英语单词)
• construction [kən´strʌkʃən] n.建设；修建；结构 (初中英语单词)
• relief [ri´li:f] n.救济；援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)
• headquarters [´hed,kwɔ:təz] n.总部(署)，司令部 (初中英语单词)
• agency [´eidʒənsi] n.代理商；机构；代理 (初中英语单词)
• sweeping [´swi:piŋ] a.掠过的 n.扫除；清除 (高中英语单词)
• southwest [,sauθ´west] n.&a.西南(方)(的) (高中英语单词)
• severely [si´viəli] ad.剧烈地；严格地 (高中英语单词)
• emergency [i´mə:dʒənsi] n.事变；紧急关头 (高中英语单词)
• response [ri´spɔns] n.回答；响应 (高中英语单词)
• massive [´mæsiv] a.厚实的；魁伟的 (高中英语单词)
• northwest [,nɔ:θ´west] n.&ad.西北(部) (高中英语单词)
• township [´taunʃip] n.乡；区 (英语四级单词)
• provincial [prə´vinʃəl] a.省的 n.外省人 (英语四级单词)
• bridge [bridʒ] n.桥(梁)；鼻梁；桥牌 (英语四级单词)
• northwestern [,nɔ:θ´westən] a.西北的；自西北的 (英语四级单词)
• drought [draut] n.旱灾；干旱 (英语四级单词)
• mountainous [´mauntinəs] a.山多的；巨大的 (英语四级单词)
• spokesman [´spəuksmən] n.发言人 (英语六级单词)
• affected [ə´fektid] a.做作的；假装的 (英语六级单词)
• august [ɔ:´gʌst] a.尊严的；威严的 (英语六级单词)
• forecast [´fɔ:kɑ:st] vt.&n.预测；预报 (英语六级单词)
• northeastern [,nɔ:θ´i:stən] ad.&a.向东北(的) (英语六级单词)
• municipality [,mju:nisi´pæliti] n.自治市；市政当局 (英语六级单词)