29 people were killed and 39 others seriously injured in a rainstorm which hammered the northwestern China's Qinghai Province, according to latest reports from the provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Office.
Around 400,000 people were affacted when the rain lashed the provincial capital of Xining and the cities of Haidong and Haibei earlier this week.
The report also said the storm destroyed more than 40 houses, swept away two trucks and four tractors, 20,000 kilograms of grain and more than 50 farm animals.
In some areas, the storm dumped a record 50.3 millimeters (2 inches) of rain during one half-hour period, according to the report.
Communication services were interrupted for four hours because of the storm. Local highways were also seriously damaged, with an on-going project forcibly being stopped.
The local government has sent rescue workers to the disaster-hit areas. Servicemen also took an active part in the relief work. Grain worth 5 million yuan (US$602,000) has been delivered to the affected areas.
The provincial meteorological bureau forecasted that Xining, Haidong and Haibei will experience hailstorms in a couple of days and the areas of Huangnan and Guoluo will again suffer from moderate to heavy rain.
(China Daily 07/12/2001)
