Mudslides caused by torrential rains have trapped more than 1,200 tourists in a scenic spot in southwestern China, cutting off traffic and electricity and flattening houses, Xinhua news agency said on Friday. Rescuers had set out to save the tourists trapped in the Hailuo Valley in Sichuan province and search for at least one person missing after two residential buildings in the area were smashed by sudden flows of mud and rock, Xinhua said, according to Reuters. "The torrential rains also damaged highways, bridges and power stations, cutting off traffic and causing a blackout in the region," the report said, citing a source from the local government. State media previously said this year's floods and mudslides had killed 560 people by late June, a month in which torrential rains caused many rivers to burst their banks and mountain torrents to smash through villages in southern China. China is struck by floods every summer, causing enormous loss of life. Deforestation compounds the problem, as heavy downpours trigger rock slides and mud flows off bare mountainsides.
