The death toll from the massive mudslide in Zhouqu County, northwest China's Gansu Province, has risen to 1,248 as of 4 p.m. Sunday, with 496 still missing, local disaster relief headquarters said.

Amid sirens and blaring horns, Chinese leaders, students, workers and members of the public across the nation paused for three minutes from 10 a.m. Sunday to mourn for the dead, a week after the devastating mudslide.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2010)