20090712 12 killed, 13 missing in SW China flood

clipped from www.chinadaily.com.cn CHONGQING: Rain-triggered floods and landslides have left 12 people dead and 13 missing in Chongqing Municipality over the past three days, the local flood-control authority said Sunday. Seven of a 35-member tourist group were killed by sudden mountain torrents in an undeveloped canyon in Wanzhou District Saturday, and 12 members of the self-organized expedition remained missing as of Sunday, Chongqing's flood control and drought relief headquarters said. border=0>Continuous rain began to pelt northeastern Chongqing at about 8 p.m. Thursday, affecting 151,600 people in 106 townships and forcing 3,883 people to evacuate as of Sunday. Heavy rainfall flooded 9,000 hectares of cropland and damaged infrastructure facilities, incurring more than 100 million yuan (US$14.6million) in economic loss. A man is rescued out of a canyon where sudden mountain torrents killed seven of a tourist group, in Wanzhou District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Sunday July 11, 2009. [Xinhua]