On Tuesday at least five herders were killed in a flash flood caused by rainstorms in Altay area, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Around 9:30 PM on Tuesday, Houshan in the mountainous Ku'erte Region, Altay City was hit by heavy rainstorms and an ensuing flash flood washed away the yurts of four households, said the Public Security and Frontier Defence Detachment of Altay City. It's unknown how many people were inside the yurts when the flash flood struck.

Rescuers have recovered the bodies of five herders. The search for those who are still missing continues. 

On the same day a sudden mud-rock slide hit the Shengjintai to Huoyanshan (Flame Mountain) section of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway killing 10 railway men working on the line.

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2006)