36 killed, hundreds injured in new China flooding

(Updated 10:35 a.m.) BEIJING — At least 36 people have died and 23 others are missing in fresh flooding from torrential rains in China's Gansu province, the latest in a string of natural disasters to strike China. The official Xinhua News Agency reported that the deaths came Monday from flooding in Longnan city near Zhouqu. Zhouqu is where at least 1,254 people were killed as a mudslide triggered by heavy rain crashed through the city on Aug. 8. The government says another 490 people are still missing from that disaster. Since Aug. 11, heavy rains have pelted several counties in Longnan city, triggering landslides, Xinhua said. It said the latest flooding left 295 people injured and more than 6,000 homes collapsed. Flooding has cut off electricity and damaged roads. In Zhouqu on Tuesday, workers used bulldozers and cranes to dig and search for the missing as rains threatened to hinder rescue efforts, Xinhua reported. Up to 3 inches (8 centimeters) of rain is expected in the area through Thursday, it said. China regularly suffers devastating summer floods, but this year has been unusually severe. Storms killed at least 1,500 people nationwide before the Zhouqu landslide and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage. — AP