Nine missing in landslides due to heavy rains in China

Nine people are missing in central China after a landslide sparked by heavy rains amid flooding and searing temperatures across much of the country, AP reported quoting authorities.

Five people were rescued from under the rubble at a highway construction site in the central province of Hubei, where the accident occurred on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of people have been moved to shelters amid heavy flooding in northern, central and southeastern China.

Seasonal flooding is a regular occurrence in China, but this year's rising waters have been accompanied by unusually prolonged stretches of high temperatures.

With its more than 9 million square kilometers (4 million square miles) of land area, China is being hit simultaneously this summer by heatwaves, flooding and drought.

Also Watch: Record-breaking rainfall pounds Pakistan's Punjab province, 11 dead