9 dead, 11 missing as rainstorms hit SW China

Nine people died and 11 others are missing as downpour hit southwest China Sunday and Monday, local authorities said.

Nine deaths were reported in Xishui County of Guizhou Province, which was battered by torrential rain from 11 p.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. Monday, the press office of the county committee of the Communist Party of China said in a press release.

As of 5 p.m., 3,120 people had been evacuated for safety considerations. Twenty-five homes were washed away and 42 others were seriously damaged.

Economic losses in Xishui County were estimated at 190 million yuan (30.88 million US dollars).

Nine people in Xishui were reported missing in floods, and rescue work continued Monday night.

Downpours also battered parts of the southwestern Chongqing Municipality starting Saturday. Two road workers in Nanchuan District were reported missing, 32 homes collapsed, and 360 people were resettled.

Sanquan, in Nanchuan District, has received 305 mm of precipitation in the past three days, the heaviest downpour since records began, the weather bureau said.