Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Sunday set up a State Council temporary headquarters for rescue work aboard a plane heading for landslide-hit Zhouqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwestern Gansu Province.

The rescue work is tough as the county is located in a remote mountainous area and the power, roads and communication were all cut off, said Wen at a meeting he chaired aboard the plane.

The top task is to save lives, according to the meeting.

Plans to clear silt must be mapped out as soon as possible after mud-rock flows and local geological situations are researched, according to the meeting.

The barrier lake should be tackled properly and quickly and the water should be discharged gradually taking into consideration the safety of people at the upper and lower reaches, according to the meeting.

Eight work groups were set up at the meeting to focus on areas including saving lives, clearing silt, geological disaster surveying, relocation, infrastructure repair and public health.

Wen and some officials with the State Council left Beijing Sunday noon for Zhouqu.

Strong rainfalls triggered landslides and mud-rock flows in Zhouqu early Sunday morning, blocking a river to form a barrier lake and cutting off power, roads and communication.

The disaster has left at least 96 people dead and some 2,000 others missing, according to the local government.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2010)