3 dead, 10 missing in floods in SW China

CHENGDU - Three people have died and 10 others remain missing following rain-triggered floods and geological disasters that have battered Southwest China's Sichuan province since Friday, the local government said Monday.

The latest round of rainstorms and mudslides has forced the evacuation of 14,600 people in 21 counties, the provincial government's flood prevention office said in a press release Monday night.

Most parts of the province were battered by heavy rains over the weekend. As of 8 a.m. Monday, precipitation had topped 100 mm in 11 cities, including the provincial capital of Chengdu, it said.

Floodwater has destroyed nearly 100 homes and destroyed 4,440 hectares of crops and 13 hydropower stations, the press release said.

In the worst-hit areas, traffic and power were also cut off.

The provincial government has sent relief teams to hard-hit areas in the cities of Mianyang and Deyang.