Six dead, two missing in SW China rainstorm

KUNMING - Six people have been killed and two remain missing following a heavy rainstorm that hit the city of Zhaotong in Southwest China's Yunnan province Saturday night, local authorities said Monday.

Nearly 130,000 people in 38 towns were affected by the downpour, a municipal government spokesperson said.

A total of 97 houses collapsed in the rain and 418 houses were badly damaged. Some 5,546 hectares of crops were affected, of which 1,120 hectares are expected to see no harvest this year.

Some 108 km of roads were damaged and 630 meters of river dams were destroyed. Direct economic losses are estimated to be 49.62 million yuan ($7.85 million).