Dozens killed in landslides in China’s Gansu province

“There was thunder and huge rain, and then the landslides started coming down,” a resident of Zhouqu told the Reuters news agency.

“That was about midnight, so some people must have been in their homes, asleep and didn’t know what was happening.”

The landslides swept mud and other debris into the river, blocking it upstream of the town.

Water built up behind the temporary dam, creating a 3km (2-mile) long lake that overflowed and sent waves of water, mud and rocks crashing down on the town.

The deluge flattened houses and tore several blocks of flats in half. One resident said the fifth floor of his building had been submerged at one point. A small hydroelectric power station was destroyed.

Pictures from Zhouqu showed scenes of devastation, with mud, water and wrecked cars covering the town as people searched for missing relatives. State media reported that one village of 300 homes was “buried”.

“Many single-storey homes have been wiped out and now we’re waiting to see how many people got out,” Han Jiangping, a local merchant, told Reuters.

“We’ve had landslides before, but never anything this bad. People are trying to find their families and waiting for more rescuers.”