BEIJING, May 11 (AP/UNB) - China says hail and torrential rains pouring down in northwest China have killed 19 people and left 45 others missing.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Friday the stormy weather disrupted power and communications, destroyed farmland and a highway in Minxian county of Gansu province.

Xinhua says nearly 2,000 people were evacuated after the storm battered the county Thursday evening.
The agency says the provincial government has sent a team to oversee rescue efforts.