Thursday, August 21, 2008

Three dead, one missing after downpour hits northwest China

Three people died and one was missing on Wednesday after a landslide triggered by heavy rain devastated a county in northwestern China's Gansu Province, local authorities said.

Heavy rain hit Xiahe County in the early hours on Wednesday, triggering mud-rock flows that hit seven villages in three towns, the county civil affairs bureau said.

Two women, one aged 86 and the other 60, died. The third fatality has not been identified. A 9-year-old boy is missing.

About 3,000 rooms of housing collapsed and more than 11,400 were flooded. The main streets in the county seat were covered with debris.

A 30-meter section of the highway linking Xiahe with other regions was also blocked by rocks.

The county government mobilized personnel for disaster relief work.

Source: Xinhua

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