16 killed as dam collapses in China

A dam on a rain-swollen reservoir collapsed in China’s south-west, inundating dozens of houses and killing 16 villagers.

Twenty-three people were also injured following the incident Thursday evening in Xiaocaoba, a town in mountainous Yunnan province, the Xinhua News Agency said

The reservoir’s retaining wall collapsed after days of torrential rain, Xinhua said, citing Guo Youquan, a local government official.

The latest fatalities raised the nationwide death toll from torrential downpours to at least 792 since China’s summer rainy season began on June 1.

Floods in China kill hundreds each year during the three-month rainy season, as rivers overflow and water rushes down mountains denuded of trees.