14 dead in NW China rainstorm

XI'AN - Fourteen people have died and one remained missing after torrential downpours caused the collapse of houses and unleashed floods in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, local authorities said Thursday.

More than 761,000 people have been affected by the rain that began last Wednesday, the provincial civil affairs department of Shaanxi said.

The department said the downpours have caused the collapse of 11,313 rooms in houses and damaged 33,860 hectares of farmland, inflicting nearly 1.8 billion yuan ($291.5 million) in direct economic losses.

In hard-hit Yan'an City, four people were buried after their cave dwelling collapsed amid heavy rain Wednesday night. One person was pulled out alive on Thursday morning, said the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The rainstorms have also cut off roads and caused floods in several rivers in the city, with the water level in one reservoir monitored at 4.76 meters above the danger line, according to the headquarters.