Landslide, Flood Hit Chinese Town

A remote region of northern China woke up to devastation Sunday morning, as an overnight landslide left hundreds of homes under thick mud and caused floods that destroyed hundreds more. A state news agency estimated that there were 127 deaths, though there are reports that as many as 2,000 people are still missing. The landslide, with mud as deep as six feet, struck Zhouqu, a town of about 40,000, around midnight. When mud reached the river, it created a dam and a resulting flood. China’s president, Wen Jiabo, has traveled to the area to oversee relief, and the government has sent 2,400 soldiers from the provincial capital to help out. “There’s water everywhere. It’s flooded everything,” said a local official. “It’s just too horrible to witness.”