More than 1,200 tourists were trapped in the Hailuo Valley, a scenic spot in southwest China's Sichuan Province after torrential rains hit the area and ensuing mud-rock flow Thursday night, local government said on Friday.

The torrential rains also damaged highways, bridges and power stations, cutting off traffic and causing a blackout in the region, according to the source with the Ganzi Tibet Autonomous Prefecture.

Torrential rain-inflicted mud-rock flow flattened two residential buildings, trapping one person.

Three farming households could not be reached due to cut-off of telecommunications services, the source said.

The Hailuo Valley administration has dispatched rescuers to save trapped tourists and local residents and search for the missing ones.

(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2005)