At least 12 people were killed and 22 others missing over the past two days in rain-triggered landslides in northwestern Shaanxi Province, Xinhua quoted local officials as saying. As of 5:30 p.m. Sunday, rescuers had retrieved 10 bodies from beneath the rocks and mud in Baqiao District of the provincial capital of Xi'an, while another five were injured, said Zhu Zhisheng, vice mayor of Xi'an, who was at the site. Another 22 people remained missing, Zhu said, adding the injured were hospitalized and in stable condition. The landslide around 2 p.m. Saturday unleashed about 100,000 cubic meters of rock and mud down the mountain, engulfing a brick factory and destroying part of a nearby ceramics factory in the suburban district of Xi'an. Rescuers found four bodies on Saturday night and six others were retrieved on Sunday. More than 700 police, firefighters and local residents joined the rescue which went on Sunday night. However, the rescue was hampered by three ensuing slides between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday as heavy rains continued slashing the city. About 10,000 cubic meters of newly-triggered rock and mud roared down to the site, forcing rescuers to suspend searching temporarily. Heavy downpours in the province also caused havoc in other areas. A heavy rainfall on Saturday night triggered a landslide that buried a residential house in the suburban district of Jintai in Baoji City, some 175 km to the west of Xi'an. Two people were dug out but later died after they were rushed to a nearby hospital, the municipal government of Baoji said in a statement Sunday. The downpours also brought a landslide in the same district early Sunday morning. Three people were saved and sent to a local hospital, according to the statement. The three wounded were in stable condition, doctors at the hospital said.
