June 25 (UPI) — Ten bodies have been recovered and more than 90 people remain missing after a landslide buried homes in southwestern China.
On Sunday, about 3,000 people were searching for survivors.
The landslide struck at 6 a.m. Saturday in the village of Xinmo, Maoxian county.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua previously reported that 15 people were confirmed dead and 120 people were missing. The estimates were later lowered and the government posted the names of missing people online Sunday, Xinhua reported.
Hopes of finding additional survivors are now fading, however.
“We won’t give up as long as there is a slim of chance,” said an unidentified rescuer, according to the news agency.
Rescuers are using ropes to move large rocks and digging through earth. Rescue dogs also are scouring the debris.
On Saturday, Qiao Dashuai told state broadcaster CCTV that his baby had awoken him and his partner. They said they were swept away by water, and his parents and other relatives are still missing.
Heavy rain is believed to have triggered the landslide with the top section of the mountain loosening, the provincial government’s Land and Resources Department said.
In a smaller, second landslide, huge rocks fell onto the village.
In 2008, a massive earthquake hit the Sichuan province leaving 90,000 dead or missing.
