IN BRIEF

Jiangsu

Social media used for drug trafficking

Police have cracked a case in which they say more than 600 suspects used social networking platforms for drug use and trafficking. Police in Suzhou have caught about 100 people, including eight prime suspects, since the start of the investigation in April, a spokesman for the police said on Monday. The suspects used social networking video chats to exchange information on drugs, and were required to upload videos of themselves using drugs in order to register on the platform, the police said. The suspects also used express delivery for drugs.

Gansu

1 dead, 8 missing after rain, floods

One person was killed and eight others were missing after flooding and landslides in Gansu province, local authorities said on Monday. Rainstorms hit southeastern Gansu from Sunday evening to Monday morning. Three townships in Longnan were affected. Landslides cut off roads, homes collapsed and power supplies and communication were interrupted. The local government has dispatched thousands of people to help with rescue and relief work.

Hebei

3 killed, 4 injured in knife attack

Three people died after a man stabbed customers at a pharmacy in Wu'an on Monday, Beijing News reported. The 39-year-old suspect, surnamed Huo, was detained by police after he injured seven people with a knife at around 10:20 am, the city's publicity bureau said. The motive is unknown, the bureau said. Three of the victims died after emergency treatment failed and the other four were seriously injured, according to the city's emergency medical command center. The incident is under investigation.

Liaoning

Weather wreaks havoc in province

A rainstorm that has battered Liaoning province since Thursday has left three people dead and affected the lives of nearly 570,000, the provincial flood control headquarters said on Monday. Seven cities, including the port city of Dalian, were affected by the storm. The three victims died in Anshan's Xiuyan county. A total of 188,000 residents were relocated. More than 1,000 homes collapsed, and 66,400 hectares of cropland was damaged. Power supplies, traffic and communication in the province have been disrupted, the headquarters said.