China Mourns; 200 Rescuers Buried by Mudslides

Rain, landslides hamper rescue efforts

(NEWSER) - At least 55 people are dead in India, Nepal, and Tibet after yesterday’s 6.9 magnitude earthquake , and the search for more survivors in remote Himalayan villages is being hampered by rain and landslides. "The situation doesn't look good," a UN official tells Reuters . "My feeling is the death toll and number of injured are going to increase." Helicopters could not fly over affected areas due to thick clouds, but some blocked mountain passes have reopened. More»

Torrential rain triggers flooding, mudslides in northwest province

(NEWSER) - More than 100 people are dead and 2,000 missing after heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides in a remote corner of northwest China. Tens of thousands of Gansu province residents were evacuated. Widespread power outages have slowed rescue operations, and sludge as much as 6 feet deep covers some main roads, reports the official Xinhua news agency . " Torrential rains began to fall at around 10 pm Saturday," said a Zhouqu County official. "Then there were mudslides and many people became trapped. " More»

(AP) - Taiwan has agreed to let the Dalai Lama visit the island to comfort survivors of a devastating typhoon, a decision that could anger China. Beijing considers the Buddhist spiritual leader a "splittist" for promoting autonomy in the Chinese region of Tibet. Allowing him to visit Taiwan could undermine the rapidly improving relations between Beijing and Taipei, which have been developing close business ties after decades of enmity. More»

(NEWSER) - Ai Weiwei, China's leading artist and a prominent critic of the country's government, said yesterday he was beaten and detained when he tried to testify at a civil rights advocate's trial. Ai told the New York Times that dozens of police officers barged into his hotel room in Chengdu, the capital of earthquake-rocked Sichuan province. The artist, famous for his design of the Bird's Nest stadium has been leading efforts to account for the deaths of children in last year's quake. More»

Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, China hit; at least 35 dead

(AP) - A typhoon-spawned mudslide engulfed a mountain village in southern Taiwan, burying up to 600 people, a police official and a rescued villager said today. Earlier, Typhoon Morakot had struck the Philippines, leaving at least 22 dead. Another typhoon slammed into Japan's west coast today, bringing heavy rain that triggered floods and landslides that left at least 13 people dead and another 10 reported missing. More»