Nine people were killed and 11 others injured after a new round of downpours in the city of Yan’an in China’s northwestern Shaanxi Province, forcing the evacuation of over 15,800 people.

Over 64,700 people have been affected and 15,811 locals have been forced to relocate, local officials said.

An initial investigation showed that the downpours have caused 163 mudslides across the mountainous city, resulting in the collapse of 939 houses and damage of 1,106 homes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

Heavy rains have battered most parts of Yan’an City since Sunday night, triggering mudslides in Fuxian and Yanchang counties. Torrential rains also left the rivers and reservoirs swollen, posing a potential threat to the residents nearby.

Six trunk highways and 96 rural roads in the city have been cut off. Seventy-one bridges have been destroyed by the rain-triggered floods, the headquarters said.

Rain-triggered mudslides have also led to disruption along a section of the Baotou-Maoming Expressway in Fuxian County and suspension of all trains leaving the capital city of Xi’an for the cities of Yan’an, Yulin and Baotou.

Also, about 12,768 people have been evacuated from Wangcang County of southwest China’s Sichuan Province after torrential rain hit the area yesterday.

The rainfall, a record for the past 20 years, has affected more than 1.20 lakh people in 38 towns of Wangcang, according to the county government.

Power supply and transportation in the worst-hit Yingcui Township have been cut off. The affected residents have been relocated to Yingcui Middle School.

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