Seventeen people were killed and three others missing as
torrential rains pounded southwest China's Sichuan Province from last Wednesday, said
sources with local government on Monday.
Among the 17 victims, all from southeast Sichuan's Yibin city,
eleven were killed by landslide and mud-rock flows, three by
lightening strike, two by flash floods and one most unlucky was hit
by a rock rolling down a hill.
Six people were injured as the Pingshan county saw the maximum
of rainfall measured at 303 millimeters. Two two-storey buildings
were toppled down by landslide. Five others are among the dead
list.
The injured are all out of danger, said Liu Yan, an official
with the Yibin government in charge of publicity.
A total of 213,000 people were affected by the rainstorm,
according to Liu.
Experts believe the rainstorms were brought by typhoon Sepat
that churned ashore in east China's Fujian Province last Sunday,
leaving a trail of chaos as it stormed through the neighboring
Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan provinces.
China reported 39 death and nine people missing in floods and
mud-rock flows triggered by Sepat in eastern and central parts of
the country.
(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2007)