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At least 21 people have been killed and another four went missing after flash floods and mudslides triggered by heavy rainstorms hit China

Flash floods kill 21 people in northwest China

At least 21 people have been killed and another four went missing after flash floods and mudslides triggered by heavy rainstorms hit China’s northwestern province of Gansu.

Local government in the city of Tianshui, situated more than 1,100 kilometers (683 miles) southwest of Beijing, said on Saturday that four bouts of torrential rains have lashed the province, causing floods, landslides and rock falls in seven townships.

It added that more than 1.2 million residents have been affected, and 30,000 people have been already evacuated.

Several villages in the Niangniangba township remain cut off as roads are blocked. Floods have also downed power and telephone lines in the area.

Moreover, more than half of the houses in Rongguang village have been destroyed in the natural disasters.

Nine teams have been dispatched to the affected areas to assess the damages. Authorities say helicopters and excavators are needed to accelerate relief operations.

The officials have also demanded relief commodities, namely foodstuff, medicine, electric generators, tents and quilts, to be distributed among flood-stricken families.

The local meteorological organization forecasts more heavy rain in the next few days.

On July 22, two powerful earthquakes struck Gansu province. The first earthquake near Dingxi city had a magnitude of 5.98 on the Richter scale and was shallow, with a depth of just 9.8 kilometers (six miles).

It was followed by a strong 5.6-magnitude aftershock about an hour and a half later.

At least 89 people were killed and more than 500 others severely injured. A total of 1,200 buildings also collapsed and tens of thousands more were badly damaged.

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