CHENGDU, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Twelve people died and 10 others were missing as of 4 p.m. Sunday after a heavy rainstorm hit Mianning County in southwest China's Sichuan Province, local authorities said late Sunday.

The rainstorm that battered Mianning from Friday to Saturday triggered floods in Yihai Township, where 10 people were killed and seven others remain missing, according to the county government.

In Gaoyang sub-district, two vehicles plunged into a river after flooding damaged the highway, killing two people and leaving three others missing.

Torrential rains affected more than 9,880 people in Yihai and Gaoyang, cutting off local roads and damaging houses and crops. A total of 7,705 people were evacuated.

Rescue and relief efforts are underway.  ■