Disasters triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 44 people in Southwest China over the past week as officials warned of flooding in regions along China's two longest rivers.

A massive mud flow in Jiulong County, part of the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze in western Sichuan, killed 12 villagers and injured 18 following heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday.

Heavy downpours also caused a landslide in Shimian County in Sichuan's western city of Ya'an, where a bus was knocked off a highway by a falling boulder on Friday night, killing 10 people and injuring 14.

At least five people were killed by Wednesday in western Sichuan, and nine people are missing after being washed away by mountain torrents or mud slides.

In Chongqing Municipality, seven children died and 44 injured on Wednesday when lightning struck their schoolroom in the village of Xingye more than 300 km from the city.

The rainfall in Chongqing lasted 32 hours, and 112,300 people were evacuated from their homes. The municipal government estimated direct losses of 573 million yuan ($73.5 million).

In Sichuan, 32,000 people were relocated as rainstorms inundated 500 houses and damaged 5,800 dwellings.

Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu has called for strengthened efforts in flood control and disaster relief along the Yangtze River, China's longest, amid warnings of floods.

Hui, also head of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, called for close monitoring of rainfall and better forecasts of typhoons, floods and torrential rains.

Experts also warned that the 5,464-km Yellow River, China's second longest, is threatened by floods this year.

"Unusual climate conditions will pose a severe test to the river this year," Li Guoying, director of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission was quoted yesterday by People's Daily as saying.

In contrast, many places in northern China have been baking under temperatures above 35 C. The hot weather has arrived two weeks earlier than normal, experts said.

In Nangong of Hebei Province, the temperature reached 39.3 C on Saturday, while Tianjin and Beijing experienced a scorching 37 C. Even coastal cities in Shandong Province recorded a high of 35 C.

Xinhua contributed to the story

(China Daily 05/28/2007 page1)