Floods in China leave thousands stranded

Floods in China's northwest Gansu province have left at least 10,000 people stranded and damaged infrastructure.

The floods were the result of heavy rainfall Wednesday night. By Thursday morning 11 villages were suffering power outages and thousands of residents were left stranded by torrential floodwaters.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Xinjiang province was hit by a rare mid-June snowstorm.

Although there have been reports of snow and freezing temperatures disrupting infrastructure, state broadcaster CCTV said that the snow is a positive sign in the midst of a recent drought.

Despite the heavy snow Xinjiang expects in winter, snowfall during mid-summer is uncommon.

The extreme weather is less severe than in 2010, when over 100 people were killed and 260 villages were washed away by flash floods in Gansu province.