Mountain torrents swept a bus into a river, leaving 12 people dead and two others missing in Lop County in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Saturday.

Continuous rain and flooding have been reported in the area over the last few days, according to the local government.

The bus was stuck at a section of road that had been damaged by floods. Many passengers got off the bus to push the vehicle when a torrent of rainwater rushed down from the mountains and swept the bus into a nearby river.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2005)