Zhang Cheng felt lucky he did not take a nap as usual when the landslide destroyed his home in Nanyue village in Dujiangyan, Sichuan province, on Friday.

A mudslide triggered by torrential rain sweeps across Yingxiu township, Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, on Saturday. [China Daily]

"Because of the downpour, I became sleepless and fled in good time when a large mass of the landslide came down from the surrounding mountains," the 74-year-old told China Daily.

But not everyone was as fortunate as the old farmer. Landslides caused by heavy rain since Thursday had killed 13 people and left 59 people missing in Sichuan as of Sunday.

Nearly 500,000 people are affected and more than 20,000 have been evacuated in the province, according to the emergency response office of the Sichuan provincial government.

The first landslide struck Qingping township in Mianzhu, a city in northern Sichuan, on Thursday evening after heavy rain.

"The rainfall amounted to 220 millimeters within two hours. As the township's only highway leading to the outside was blocked, more than 5,400 villagers were stranded," said Luo Yingguang, an information officer in the city.