Eight people died and 38 were missing amid torrential rain in Mianyang, one of the cities that was hardest-hit by the May 12 earthquake, local authorities said on Wednesday.

More than 6,500 people were stranded by the downpour, which triggered landslides. More than 2,200 houses had collapsed and 8,500 were damaged, a Sichuan Provincial Emergency Office said.

Some pre-fabricated houses built after the quake and other residences were flooded in Jiangyou, Beichuan, Pingwu and Anxian, which are part of Mianyang. Parts of the communications and power networks were cut off in Jiangyou and Pingwu, he said.

He said 144,700 hectares of crops were affected and 20,000 ha were ruined. The direct economic loss was nearly 40 million yuan (US$5.87 million), he said.

Forecasters said the rain was expected to subside on Thursday.

The devastating quake has left 69,227 people dead, 17,923 missing and 374,643 injured in Sichuan and its neighboring regions.

(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2008)