Six dead in China rainstorms

BEIJING, June 30 (UPI) -- Severe thunderstorms pounded the southern and eastern regions of China Monday, killing at least six people and leaving two others missing, officials said.

The dead included one from the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, two from Wuhan city in Hubei Province and three from Anhui province, Xinhua reported.

The other two were reported missing in landslides or in a slag pile, which collapsed due to the storms in Chongqing.

Thousands of people had been evacuated from the Chongqing area. The village of Tiefeng remained cut off from rest of the region, the report said.

Authorities reported water levels in Yangtze and Jialing rivers were rising, threatening flooding in Chongqing.