国内英语新闻:Death toll from NW China mudslide rises to 702; 1,042 still missing

A 52-year-old Tibetan was pulled alive from the debris of a toppled apartment building Tuesday, more than 50 hours after the landslide disaster.

The man, by name of Liu Ma Shindan, was rescued at 11:20 a.m. in the ruins of a residential building for telecommunication workers in the county seat.

Doctors said his heart rate and breathing were normal, but he was too weak to speak. He received first-aid at a makeshift clinic in the county seat.

Senior Chinese leaders Tuesday called for greater efforts to save lives and property in the mudslide-flattened county.

Authorities must make scientific arrangements, take more forceful measures and make the most of every second to save those trapped, said a statement issued after a meeting of members of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau.

More than 10,000 troops, police and fire fighters were battling through sludge and rubble Tuesday in a round-the-clock operation to find survivors, even as hopes of finding survivors faded two days after mudslide leveled the county seat.

The water level in an artificial lake formed after debris blocked the Bailong River has fallen by more than one meter after several blasts, reducing the risks of further landslides.

Rescue efforts, however, could be further complicated as thunderstorms are forecast for the next three days, according to the Lanzhou meteorological station.

Local authorities also have ordered to boost epidemic prevention and provide safe drinking water within a week.