At midnight on Sunday, August 8th, a temporary lake caused by a recent landslide broke loose above the town of Zhouqu, in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China. The outflow slid down the valley as a wall of mud, wiping out houses and muli-story buildings, and killing at least 1,144 residents - with over 600 still reported as missing. More than 10,000 soldiers and rescuers arrived soon to comb through the mountains of mud that buried several parts of Zhouqu County. Engineers also worked to blast the debris that had passed through the town to partially block the Bailong River, causing further flooding. Collected here are images of the landslide-affected area of northwestern China, part of a series of disasters in Asia caused by recent heavy rains.
1. The landslide-hit town of Zhouqu in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, China on August 9, 2010. Chinese rescuers armed with little more than shovels and hoes hunted for survivors of a huge mudslide, as relatives of the missing trekked into the disaster zone to look for their loved ones. (REUTERS/Aly Song)
2. Women grieve near their relative's body in Zhouqu County, China on August 10, 2010. (REUTERS/Aly Song)
3. An aerial view of the town of Zhouqu shortly after a deadly flood-triggered landslide, seen on August 8, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
4. A handout photo received on August 11, 2010 from the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping shows a combo of satellite images showing Zhouqu before (left) in July, 2008 and after the recent landslide (right), taken on August 8, 2010. (AFP/Getty Images)
5. Chinese rescuers continue to search for survivors in Zhouqu, northwest China's Gansu province on August 11, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
6. View of buildings, vehicles and roads hit by mudslides in Zhouqu county, China on Sunday Aug. 8, 2010. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Gong Zhiyong)
7. Workers prepare to disinfect a landslide-hit street in Zhouqu, China on August 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Aly Song)
8. People help military personnel clear rocks amid the mud, water and rubble in the aftermath of a landslide in Zhouqu on August 12, 2010 in northwest China's Gansu province. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
9. Workers disinfect a landslide-hit street in Zhouqu, China on August 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Stringer)
10. The hand of a victim sticks out of the ground in Zhouqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China on August 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Stringer)
11. A Chinese soldier disinfects debris in the town of Zhouqu, China on Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010. (AP Photo)
12. An old couch floats down a street after the massive landslide in Zhouqu, China on August 12, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
13. Hundreds of Chinese military personnel help with rescue and cleanup operations amid the rubble of landslide devastation in Zhouqu on August 11, 2010 in northwest China's Gansu province. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
14. Chinese rescuers take a break as they continue to search for victims of the massive landslide in Zhouqu on August 11, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
15. A resident walks on a landslide-hit street in Zhouqu County of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on August 12, 2010. (REUTERS/Aly Song)
16. A resident walks on a damaged bridge near Zhouqu, China on August 12, 2010. (REUTERS/Aly Song)
17. Military personnel on clean-up operations work beside a demolished building amid the rubble of landslide devastation in Zhouqu on August 11, 2010 in northwest China. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
18. A girl stands on the debris of damaged buildings in Zhouqu County China on August 10, 2010. (REUTERS/Stringer)
19. A woman walks past a sunken excavator stuck in the mud amid the remains of landslide devastation while rescue efforts continue in Zhouqu on August 11, 2010. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
20. A member of the military in protective gear pours disinfectant over body bags containing the remains of victims of a landslide in Zhouqu on August 12, 2010 in northwest China. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
21. An aerial view of the flooding in Zhouqu county after a deadly flood-triggered landslide hit on August 8, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
22. Residents walk across water flowing through the site of a massive mudslide that devastated the town of Zhouqu in northwest China's Gansu province Thursday Aug. 12, 2010. (AP Photo)
23. A man grieves at the site of a mud slide that swept away part of the town of Zhouqu in northwest China's Gansu province on Thursday Aug. 12, 2010. (AP Photo)
24. A survivor buried under the debris waits to be rescued after devastating landslides hit Zhouqu county on August 8, 2010. (AFP/Getty Images)
25. Liu Ma Shindan is transported by rescuers in Zhouqu County, China on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010. Liu Ma Shindan, 52, was rescued after being trapped for 50 hours following landslide, Xinhua reported. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Zhang Hongxiang)
26. Residents collect wood and logs, washed down by the recent downpours, from the Bailong River near the landslide which devastated Zhouqu county on August 12, 2010. (REUTERS/Stringer)
27. Chinese rescuers recover money and other personal belongings of victims in the massive landslide in Zhouqu, China on August 11, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
28. A woman cries while lying on the body of her dead child amid the rubble of landslide devastation in Zhouqu on August 11, 2010. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
29. A man holds a family photo as he waits for information about his missing wife in Zhouqu County on August 9, 2010. (REUTERS/Stringer)
30. Women sit beneath the edge of a damaged building while watching cleanup and rescue operations amid the rubble in Zhouqu on August 12, 2010. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
31. Rescue workers search for survivors in a partially collapsed building in the town of Zhouqu on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
32. Villager Wang Xidai carries a coffin that will be used for his niece who was killed after a mudslide swept through the town of Zhouqu in northwestern China on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010. (AP Photo)
33. Residents carry a landslide victim to a truck in Zhouqu County on August 10, 2010. (REUTERS/Aly Song)
34. Residents nail a coffin shut in Zhouqu on Monday, Aug. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
35. A resident cries for her relative killed by landslide in Zhouqu County on Aug. 12, 2010. Many people held memorial ceremonies for their killed or missing relatives at the landslide area to express their grief on Thursday. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Li Gang)
36. Residents are carried by a bulldozer across a landslide-hit street in Zhouqu County on August 9, 2010. (REUTERS/Aly Song)
37. People on a second-floor balcony help a woman who tries to reach the lower floor, partially buried in mud, to fetch belongings after a mudslide in Zhouqu county on Monday, Aug. 9, 2010. (AP Photo)
38. The foot of a victim killed in a mudslide in Zhouqu County, China on August 9, 2010. (REUTERS/Aly Song)
39. Rescuers set fire to the clothing of victims on a landslide-hit street in Zhouqu, China on August 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Aly Song)
40. Chinese rescuers use explosives in an attempt to clear blockages and release the water of Bailong River in Zhouqu, China on August 11, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
41. Residents take a break from their efforts to recover bodies after a mudslide swept into the town of Zhouqu in Gannan prefecture, northwestern China on Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
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