SHANGHAI, Aug 8 -- TORRENTIAL rain and lightning storms have left 17 people dead and 33 missing in China's northwestern Shaanxi Province, destroying thousands of homes, as well as blocking roads and cutting power supplies since Monday.

In Hanbin District, Ankang City, 155 millimeters of rain fell from 10pm on Monday to 12pm yesterday, triggering landslides and mud-rock flows in 28 counties in the district, the Sanqing Metropolis newspaper reported today.

Sixty-one roads were cut off and more than 27 power lines were damaged in the district.

The storms also destroyed 1,142 homes and caused a loss of 33.06 million yuan (US$4.37 million) in Hanbin, the report added.

In Ankang's Langao County, the storm hit 17 villages where more than 130,000 people live. The storm destroyed 5,690 houses and ruined 21,000 hectares of crops, which led to losses of more than 81.6 million yuan.