33 die in Chinese rains

At least 33 people have been killed and more than 120 are missing after torrential rain in western China.

The downpour started last Wednesday in the Sichuan province and has killed at least 27 people, said an official at the provincial disaster-relief office.

Nine cities and over 700 villages have been affected by the weather.

In Shaanxi province, a further 108 people are missing after weekend rains in areas near the city of Xi'an.

"We expect the number of dead will increase," said the official of the local flood-control centre.

He said the downpours wrecked houses and roads, washed out a major railway bridge and knocked out power supplies.