Torrential rains and lightning storms have left 15 people dead, scores of homes destroyed, and roads and power supplies cut in southwest China since Monday.

Rains lashed Chongqing Municipality and triggered landslides and mud-rock flows in 22 of its 40 counties and districts in the southern, central and western parts. Ten people were killed, five are missing and 128 are injured or ill.

A total of 2.72 million people were affected, including 113,100 evacuated from their homes.

Heavy rains destroyed more than 10,000 houses and ruined 118,060 hectares of crops.

In downtown areas, water submerged 22 streets and cut off traffic. By noon, 48 power lines were downed and more than 200 firefighters were fighting fires caused by lightning.

In worst-hit areas, rainfall reached about 200 millimeters by 5:00 PM on Tuesday and had caused losses of more than 863 million yuan (US$113.5 million).

As the rain continues, the Yangtze River is expected to swell by 7.43 meters in the Cuntan hydrological station by Wednesday and the Jialing River up by 9.7 meters at the Beibei hydrological station. Local authorities have been put on flood alert.

The municipality is still recovering from heavy rain at the beginning of this month that affected 180,000 people, destroying 3,150 hectares of crops and inflicting losses of 27 million yuan (US$3.55 million).

Rainstorms also wrought havoc in the adjacent Sichuan Province. Two villagers were killed in the Shehong County in east Sichuan in landslides, and three died in lightning strikes in the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in the southern part of the province.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2007)