4 killed, 4 missing as heavy rain lashes southwest China

KUNMING, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Persistent torrential rain that began lashing Qiubei County in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Thursday has claimed four lives as of 4:30 p.m. Friday, while four others remain missing, according to the county government.

More than 120,000 people in 12 townships have been affected, and communications and power facilities have been severely damaged, with 27,000 households experiencing power outages.

As a result of the heavy rains, more than 600 people have been relocated to safety. Over 12,000 hectares of crops were affected, and more than 130 roads or simple bridges collapsed.

Personnel from the power supply, communications, transportation and fire departments have been dispatched to the affected areas for rescue and relief work, while efforts to search for the missing people are underway.