Mudslide, lightning strike kill 43 in s.west China

SHANGHAI, May 26 (Reuters) Mudslides and floods caused by torrential rains, and lightning strikes in southwestern China's Sichuan province have killed 43 people and left many homeless over the past week, the Xinhua news agency said today.

Twelve of the deaths took place in the province's Jiulong county, while nine people died when a bus was caught in a landslide on a Sichuan highway. The bus slid down a 10-meter slope after it was hit by a falling rock, Xinhua said.

Another landslide, also triggered by a rainstorm, killed seven in Leibo county, it said.

Twelve people were missing after being washed away by mountain torrents or mud slides, Xinhua added.

The rest of the deaths were caused by floods or lightning strikes, Xinhua said.

Lightning struck an elementary school in southwest China's Chongqing municipality on Wednesday, killing seven children and injuring 40 pupils and teachers, it said.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has dispatched a rescue team to the province, it said.

About 32,000 people had been relocated as rainstorms inundated 500 houses and damaged 5,800 dwellings in Sichuan, Xinhua said, citing the ministry. Farms and some roads and bridges had also been damaged, it said.

The rain in Chongqing lasted for 32 hours, forcing the local government to evacuate 112,300 people from their homes -- which caused a direct economic loss of 573 million yuan, Xinhua cited the Chongqing government as saying.

REUTERS SLD PM2040