12 dead in China rains

Beijing, July 21 (IANS) Torrential rains that lashed large areas of China since Friday night have killed at least 12 people, authorities said Saturday.

In Beijing, rainstorms left two people dead and six injured as strong winds toppled rooftops at a construction site in the city's Tongzhou district, Xinhua reported.

Heavy rain that started thrashing the city around 10 a.m. Saturday inundated roads and severely disrupted air traffic.

A total of 246 domestic flights and 14 international flights were cancelled, and another 193 delayed for more than one hour, according to the Beijing Capital International Airport said.

Beijing received 95 mm of rain till Saturday evening, with the suburban Mentougou district hit by the highest 327 mm, according to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau.

In northern Shanxi province, four people were killed and one went missing, after the pick-up truck they were travelling in was carried by floodwaters to the middle of a river in Shuozhou city, rescuers said.

In southwestern Sichuan province's Weiyuan county, six people were killed in rain-triggered landslides, the provincial flood control office said.