Downpours kill 9 in NW China city

XI'AN - Nine people have died and 11 others are injured after a new round of downpours in the city of Yan'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters announced on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, 64,716 people have been affected by the heavy rain and 15,811 locals have been forced to relocate, the headquarters said.

An initial investigation showed that the downpours have caused 163 mudslides across the mountainous city, which has led to the collapse of 939 houses and severely damaged 1,106 homes.

Heavy rain has battered most parts of Yan'an city since Sunday night, triggering mudslides in Fuxian and Yanchang counties, according to a statement from the headquarters on Monday.

Torrential rain also left rivers and reservoirs swollen, posing a potential threat to residents nearby.

Six trunk highways and 96 rural roads in the city have been cut off. Seventy-one bridges were destroyed by the rain-triggered floods, the headquarters said.

Rain-triggered mudslides have also led to disruption along a section of the Baotou-Maoming Expressway in Fuxian County and caused all trains leaving the capital city of Xi'an for the cities of Yan'an, Yulin and Baotou to be suspended.