Four people were also injured in the disaster, which happened when torrential rains hit 11 townships in the county under the jurisdiction of Zunyi city on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The mud-rock flow occurred on Tuesday night at a construction site on a road under repair. Victims of the disaster included construction workers, passers-by and passengers on a bus from neighboring Sichuan Province.

Provincial Vice-Governor Xiao Yong'an and other officials went to the scene to direct the rescue work.

(Xinhua News Agency June 26, 2003)