34 dead, 4 missing after East China landslide

Rescuers search for signs of life at the landslide site in Taining County, East China's Fujian province, May 9, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua]

TAINING, Fujian -- The death toll has risen to 34 with four people still missing after a landslide in Taining County in East China's Fujian province on Sunday, local authorities said Monday afternoon.

As of 4 pm, 31 bodies had been retrieved at the scene and one person on the missing list had been found alive, the rescue headquarters said.

The landslide occurred at about 5 am on Sunday in Taining County, when about 100,000 cubic meters of mud and rocks flowed downhill, burying a temporary shed at a hydropower station construction site and damaging its offices.

Rescue work is ongoing despite persistent rain.