The massive mudslide that hit Wenchuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday had killed 15 people and injured nine others by Monday, local authorities said Tuesday.

Wenchuan County was the epicenter of the 8.0-magnitude earthquake that jolted Sichuan and other neighboring provinces in west China in May 2008. The quake left some 87,000 people dead or missing.

The county, which falls under the jurisdiction of Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba, was ravaged by rain-triggered floods and mudslides Saturday.

At least 31 people were reported missing following the mudslide, but whether the 15 deaths were included was not known, according to a statement issued by the county government of Wenchuan.

More than 50,000 residents and tourists were forced to evacuate in Aba as the local meteorological station issued warnings beginning Friday about expected heavy rains and possible geological disasters.

Also, the county government of Wenchuan has arranged temporary shelters for residents left homeless by the floods.

In Yingxiu Township of Wenchuan, rows of newly completed homes were submerged by the overflowed Minjiang River which runs through the town. The new homes had been built to accommodate those residents relocated outside Yingxiu after the deadly earthquake.

If the flooding had not occurred, Lian Qunhua, who opened a grocery in the town, would have received the key for her new home in two weeks.

"This used to be my home," Lian told a Xinhua reporter, pointing to some debris in front of her. "That is my new home," she said, indicating a row of fresh new buildings soaked in the flood waters on the opposite bank of the Minjiang River.

"I feel hurt, indeed," she lamented.

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2010)