Rain, floods kill 31 in Sichuan, 166 missing

Torrential rain and floods are continuing to hit southwest China's Sichuan province. The downpours have led to floods and landslides. Latest reports from the provincial civil affairs department say 31 people have been killed, and over 160 people are missing. More than 220,000 people there have been relocated.

Wenchuan County suffered so much from the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Now, it's badly hit by days of torrential rain. Local authorities say all the towns in the county are affected by the storms. Landslides completely severed the highway connecting the county with the outside. Reconstruction is underway, but it's risky work.

Lian Kai, Disaster Relief Team, said, "We're laying wooden sleepers and sandbags to re-channel the flood from the roads. We hope it will prevent more collapses."

Meanwhile, a landslide led to 18 deaths in a village in Dujiangyan City. Across the city, nearly 110 people remain missing. But good news is that some 350 people who were earlier trapped have been rescued and relocated. And electricity has been restored in some of the relocation sites.

The heavy rainfall, which began Monday evening, has affected more than 2 million residents in 75 counties. By Thursday, more than 22,000 soldiers and militiamen had been sent to help. Weather forecasters say the rain is expected to ease, but warn that it will return next week.