Rainfall kills 2, affects 45,000 in Xinjiang

URUMQI - Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain have left two people dead and affected 45,000 others in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the local government said Wednesday.

As of Tuesday, heavy rain that started on Monday had battered much of southern Xinjiang's Aksu prefecture, including the city of Aksu and Wushi, Keping and Wensu counties, according to a statement from the prefecture's flood control and drought relief headquarters.

The flooding triggered by the torrential rain has claimed the lives of two people and 62,392 head of livestock, the statement said.

It added that the downpours have damaged or destroyed 1,305 houses and ruined 6,667 hectares of crops or plants, resulting in direct economic losses of 200 million yuan (about $32.4 million).