Heavy rain is forecast to hit Wenchuan County of southwestern Sichuan Province Sunday, adding risks of mud-rock flows and landslides in the county, the epicenter of last year's magnitude-8 quake, the National Meteorological Center said Sunday.

Meteorologists warned local governments to step up safety checks in areas vulnerable to geological disasters and local reservoirs with hidden safety risks as the quake zones had been hit by continuous rains recently. Locals were also warned to guard against possible mud-rock flows and landslides.

The center also forecast heavy rainf in the southern areas of Shaanxi and Yunnan provinces, and central and western parts of the Sichuan Basin.

Torrential rains in Wenchuan County caused a landslide on July 25, killing six people and destroyed a bridge that is a key link for reconstruction of the county.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2009)