Update: Death toll in mountain torrents in NW China's Gansu rises to 13

LANZHOU, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Mountain torrents in Yuzhong County, northwest China's Gansu Province, had left 13 dead and 30 missing as of noon on Saturday, provincial emergency authorities said.

Torrential rains, which led to the mountain torrents, began pounding Yuzhong, which is under the jurisdiction of the provincial capital of Lanzhou, as well as other areas of Lanzhou on Thursday evening, with precipitation reaching 220.2 millimeters by noon on Friday.

Search and rescue efforts and infrastructure repairs are underway. As of 6 p.m. Saturday, all roads leading to the affected villages in Yuzhong had been cleared, said the provincial transport department. Power supply has been restored in 80 percent of the affected areas.

So far, a total of 9,828 people in Yuzhong have been relocated to safe areas.

"After receiving the rainfall alert at 4 p.m. Thursday, our entire staff immediately conducted door-to-door notifications, warning residents to take precautionary measures and convincing camping tourists in vulnerable areas to evacuate," said Zhang Kefu, Party secretary of Yaogou Village, who has been working on the relocation of affected residents.

"In all my years, I've never witnessed such a heavy rain. Stones as big as beds rushed down from the riverway. I stayed awake all night in my room, too terrified to close my eyes," 84-year-old Hao Xiuying told Xinhua from a relocation hotel.

Fortunately, the mountain torrents did not damage Hao's house as it was on high ground and far from the riverway. However, the roads in front of the house were all washed away.

At the hotel, each room has a bathroom with a shower and clean bedding. On the table, there were boxed meals, instant noodles, purified water and other supplies.

"Now that we are safely settled here, we no longer fear the mountain torrents and can finally get a sound sleep," said Gao Cuixia, Hao's daughter-in-law.

Gansu issued alerts for mountain torrents and geological disasters on Saturday evening as rainstorms are still expected in many parts of the province.

At 6 p.m. Saturday, an orange alert -- the second-highest alert level in China's four-tier system -- for mountain torrents was issued by the provincial department of water resources and the provincial meteorological bureau, warning of potential mountain torrents in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Dingxi City and Longnan City from 7 p.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Additionally, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the provincial department of natural resources and the provincial meteorological bureau issued an orange alert for geological disasters, forecasting potential disasters such as collapse, landslide and mudslide in Yuzhong County in Lanzhou, Zhouqu County in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Anding District and Lintao County in Dingxi City, and Longnan City from 8 p.m. Saturday to 8 p.m. Sunday. ■