Floods caused by torrential rains have left 30 people dead and 16 others missing in a mountainous area in northwestern China's Gansu province, state press reported Thursday.
The hardest rains in some 100 years began falling on the province's Min district at dawn Tuesday leaving two villages in the region drenched with up to 20 centimeters (eight inches) of rain in a space of 40 minutes, Xinhua news agency said.
Two commercial buildings were swept off their foundations by the ensuing floods, while an indeterminate number of residences were also washed away, leaving 17 other people injured, the report said.
Local and provincial government officials have begun rescue operations, shipping in tents, blankets and warm clothing, the report said -- BEIJING (AFP)
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