Seventeen people were killed and three others missing as torrential rains pounded southwest China's Sichuan Province from last Wednesday, said sources with local government on Monday.

Among the 17 victims, all from southeast Sichuan's Yibin City, eleven were killed by landslide and mud-rock flows, three by lightening strike, two by flash floods and one most unlucky was hit by a rock rolling down a hill.

Six people were injured as the Pingshan county saw the maximum of rainfall measured at 303 millimeters. Two two-storey buildings were toppled down by landslide. Five others are among the dead list.

The injured are all out of danger, said Liu Yan, an official with the Yibin government in charge of publicity.

A total of 213,000 people were affected by the rainstorm, according to Liu.

Experts believe the rainstorms were brought by typhoon Sepat that churned ashore in east China's Fujian Province last Sunday, leaving a trail of chaos as it stormed through the neighboring Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan provinces.

China reported 39 death and nine people missing in floods and mud-rock flows triggered by Sepat in eastern and central parts of the country.

(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2007)