Heavy downpour leaves 5 dead in East China city

HANGZHOU -- Five people have been confirmed dead and three others are missing after a heavy downpour slashed a mountainous area of Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang province, from Saturday evening to Sunday morning.

According to the flood control and drought relief headquarters in Fuyang district of Hangzhou, as of Sunday afternoon, heavy rainfall triggered 32 flash floods and 144 geological disasters in the district.

Twenty-six houses were damaged or collapsed during the period. Electricity supply to 1,619 households has been disrupted, and 21 roads were blocked.

Currently, more than 6,000 rescuers have joined the search and rescue work. A total of 1,536 people in the disaster-hit areas have been evacuated.