Lingering downpour kills 4 in NW China city

Four people died after persistent torrential rains hit Zhongwei City of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from Aug. 15 to Aug. 16., local authorities said on Sunday.

One man was swept away by mountain flood on Friday night while grazing sheep and drowned. The other three were washed away in a pickup truck on Saturday afternoon. Their bodies were retrieved on Sunday afternoon.

All of them lived in Xiangshan Township of Shapotou District of Zhongwei.

Initial investigations showed the torrential rains worsened by hailstorms had damaged some 17,000 hectares of farmland, inflicting direct economic losses of nearly 150 million yuan upon more than 20,000 households in eight townships of the Shapotou District.

In some townships, power supply had been stopped and some village roads broken.

Rescuers are making efforts to restore electricity, evacuate the residents in danger and repair roads to provide relief materials.