China earthquake death toll passes 400
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LONGTOUSHAN, China - More than 400 people have died in an earthquake that devastated a Chinese village, state media said Tuesday, as relatives faced the stark probability that rescuers would only find the remains of their loved ones.
The death toll in the southwestern province of Yunnan had risen to 407, state broadcaster CCTV said on a verified Twitter account, as concerns mounted over a barrier lake formed by a landslide blocking a river in the disaster zone.
Some state media reports speculated that the swollen waters may burst within days, potentially flooding the downstream area.
Two days after a magnitude 6.1 tremor destroyed 80,000 houses and seriously damaged 124,000 more, rescuers searched the rubble in the devastated, once-idyllic mountainside village of Longtoushan.
AFP
