Rain predicted for SW China quake zone

BEIJING - Meteorological authorities said Sunday that rain is expected to fall in quake-hit areas in Southwest China's Sichuan province over the next three days.

Lushan county will see light and moderate rain, as well as cloudy weather, from Sunday to Tuesday, the National Meteorological Center said in a statement.

Relief work is under way in the county to ease the losses caused by a 7.0-magnitude quake that occurred on April 20. The quake killed 196 people and injured tens of thousands.

Moderate and heavy rain will also fall in other parts of southwest China, some areas of northwest China and areas along the Yangtze, Hanjiang and Huaihe rivers, the center said.

Some of the regions will experience thunderstorms, gales and hailstorms, the center added.