8 dead, 24 missing in southwest China rainstorms

Eight people died and 24 others were missing as of early Tuesday after rainstorms brought landslides to southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, said the local rescue headquarters.
More than 500 professional rescuers, including fire-fighters and armed police, have evacuated over 7,000 residents in nine rain-drenched townships in Yunyang County to safe locations, said the headquarters.
The missing include 11 coal miners in Yunyang who were buried by a landslide on Monday morning.
Torrential rain started to pound Yunyang, Wuxi, Fengjie and Wushan in northeastern Chongqing on Sunday, cutting off traffic, power and communication in parts of the counties.
Rescuers are working to resume traffic that has been disrupted by downpours on three major roads and a highway to the county seat of Wuxi.
The rainstorms have affected more than 250,000 residents in 32 townships in Wuxi. The county's water authorities said many streets in the county seat have been inundated by flood water as deep as 50 cm.
The National Meteorological Center forecast heavy rain in Chongqing and neighboring Sichuan Province on Tuesday. Enditem