At least 17 people were killed and nine others wounded by mudslides, mountain torrents, lightening strikes and gale-force winds over the past two days in Yunnan, Guangdong and Shaanxi provinces and the Tibet and Guangxi autonomous regions.

Two deaths were confirmed Tuesday in mudslides on Monday in Yingjiang and Longchuan counties in southwest China's Yunnan Province, according to reports reaching Beijing Tuesday.

The mudslides caused by heavy rains and consequent flooding on local rivers running through the two counties buried at least eight people with more than 400 others stranded since the early hours of Monday.

By press time Tuesday, one person was still missing in Longchuan where more than 2,000 hectares of crops were buried, 3,000 houses collapsed and more than 26,000 residents made homeless by the disaster.

Also on Saturday, two road men were buried and died after a mud-rock flow hit their work site in Lang County in Linzhi Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

In Guangdong Province, lightening strikes claimed five people and injured four others during frequent thunderstorms, Nanfang Daily reported.

"Lightening storms are predicted to continue into the next few days in Guangdong following the fade of typhoon Mindulle," local weather officials said, warning people not to seek shelter from rain under isolated trees in open areas.

Annually, thunder storms occur on an average of 80 days in Guangdong, they said, adding that, last year, 48 people were killed with 39 others injured in 57 reported lightning strikes.

In the neighbouring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, eight people were killed and four others wounded by mountain floods in the past two days, Xinhua reported.

(China Daily July 7, 2004)