Flood Traps 500 in 2 Chinese Provinces

Rescue workers searched Monday for more than 100 people trapped by a mudslide in southwestern China, while in another part of the country 400 workers were trapped by a flood in a railway tunnel.

The official Xinhua News Agency says the rain-triggered mudslide engulfed a village in Yunnan province on Monday morning, initially trapping at least 200 people. It also stated that firefighters rescued more than 80 people by noon.

In Liaoning province in northeastern China, workers searched for 400 fellow workers trapped in a railway tunnel by two meters (six feet) by water caused by heavy rains, the official China Daily newspaper reported.

Mudslides and flooding are common in China's mountainous areas, killing hundreds of people every year. Deforestation has caused soil erosion and made some parts of China prone to mudslides after strong rains.

In earlier mudslide cases like one in China’s Sichuan province on June 28 the government offered money to the victims' families but it is yet unknown what actions the government is to take regarding these new tragedies.