Zhugqu County[2][3] (Tibetan: འབྲུག་ཆུ་རྫོང་།), Zhugchu[3] or Zhouqu (Chinese: 舟曲县) is a county in the eastern extremity of the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the south of Gansu Province, China, with the Bailong River flowing through its confines; it borders Sichuan province to the south.
[4] The word "Zhugqu" derived from the Tibetan name of Bailong River.
[5] On 8 August 2010, deadly mudflows caused by torrential rain struck the county and killed at least 1,471 people.
[4][6] It has been said by some experts; such as Professor Fan Xiao, a Sichuan-based geologist; that the scale of the disaster was affected by deforestation and the construction of dams for hydro-electricity in the area.
[7] According to historical records, Chengguan Town has been struck by 11 "devastating" mudflows since 1823.