Death toll rises to 26 in NW China downpours

YAN'AN, Shaanxi - Three more people have been confirmed dead due to continuous rain that has lashed the city of Yan'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi province since July 3, bringing the death toll to 26, the local government said Sunday.

The downpours have left 116 people injured and affected 260,000 others affected across five counties due to floods and landslides, the city's vice-mayor Yang Xiao said.

Yang said the city has not seen rain of this extent or duration since 1945, when authorities first began to record meteorological conditions.

The rain has caused 3,710 landslides and cut off traffic on more than 120 roads, with direct economic losses estimated to total 1.47 billion yuan ($236 million), Yang said.