国内英语新闻:Hundreds of thousands evacuated after flooding at China-DPRK border

China has been suffering from a string of rain-triggered disasters recently as the country battles its worst floods in more than a decade.

In southwest China's Yunnan Province, as of Sunday, 29 people were killed and 63 remained missing after mudslides hit the remote, mountainous town of Gongshan on Wednesday.

Rain-triggered mudslides also killed more than 18 people in Wenchuan and Qingchuan counties in southwest China's Sichuan - which was devastated by a massive earthquake in 2008.

Work crews and rescuers reopened all major roads leading to mudslide-hit areas of Wenchuan on Sunday after days of work.

In the northwestern province of Gansu, at least 1,435 people were killed and another 330 are reported missing after an avalanche of mud and rocks hit the center town of Zhouqu County at mid-night Aug. 7.

Authorities on Sunday banned the retrieval of bodies from the worst-hit areas, citing slim chances of the discovery of more bodies and the mounting threat of disease outbreaks.

Only one body was retrieved on Sunday.

"After rounds of search, there is no trace of life at all in the mud-covered areas. As the bodies of the victims were highly decomposed, if the retrieval continues, it would be more likely to trigger disease outbreaks," a government directive says.

China's Minister of Land and Resources Xu Shaoshi has ordered local officials to carry out pre-emptive evacuations to avoid heavy casualties in geological disasters.

In a work conference held in Yunnan, Xu Shaoshi said local officials should not hesitate in forcing residents in disasters-threatened zones to move ahead of a looming disaster, even when the forecasters can not be sure.

"As long as there is a sign of geological disasters likely to occur, officials should take it seriously and carry out the evacuations," Xu said. "It is better to hear the people's blames than their cries."

Xu also ordered local offcials to strengthen monitoring efforts by using advanced technologies and mobilizing the public.