国内英语新闻:17 missing, 8 dead in western China's downpour

XI'AN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rains on Friday and Saturday have left 17 people missing in northwest China's Shaanxi province and eight people dead in southwestern province of Sichuan, local authorities said Sunday.

The rains have bashed Fugu County in northern Shaanxi from Friday night to 2 p.m. Saturday, with the maximum precipitation reaching 131 mm, said the county government.

As of 6 p.m. Sunday, four bodies have been recovered in the county, but it is unclear whether they were among the 17 missing people, as the deceased have yet been identified.

Among the missing people, three in two coal-carrying vehicles went missing on the flooded roads in Qingshui Township and 14 people were reported missing in the hard-hit Fengjiata coal mine owned by Shaanxi Provincial Investment Group Co., Ltd. The search is still underway.

In the neighboring Sichuan province, 9,000 people have been relocated and 620,000 people have been affected by the rains as of 7 p.m. Sunday, said the provincial flood control headquarters.

About 6,400 houses collapsed. An area of 31,000 hectares of crops were damaged, it said.

The rains also caused the water levels of several rivers, including Dadu River and Qingyi River, to exceed the alarming levels, it said.

The headquarters have dispatched two working groups to the cities of Luzhou and Leshan to direct the flood control efforts.