A mountain torrent on Wednesday morning washed away a military barracks stationed in east China's Jiangxi Province, claiming six lives and leaving 38 others missing, military sources said on Thursday morning.

Upon learning the mishap, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Central Military Commission (CMC) paid particular attention to the safety of the servicemen.

Chinese President and Central Military Commission Chairman Hu Jintao ordered "prompt and all-out efforts" to search for the missing and reduce the casualty to the minimum, the military sources said.

The mountain torrent was triggered by Typhoon Kaemi. The 38 missing people included military officers, soldiers and their families, initial investigation shows.

The death toll of Typhoon Kaemi has risen to at least 18 in the Chinese mainland, including the six new deaths in the military barracks.

The headquarters of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the CPC Jiangxi Provincial Committee had dispatched working teams to organize rescue operation.

Kaemi has lashed central and southern parts of Jiangxi Province with rainstorms since Tuesday afternoon and triggered flood and landslides.

Rescuers have evacuated 10,845 civilians in the worst-hit areas, where maximum rainfall within six hours exceeded 280 millimeters.

At least 329,000 people in Jiangxi have been affected by rainstorms and ensuing disasters, 9,210 houses were toppled down and 6,400 hectares of farmland were spoiled. Direct economic losses were estimated at 150 million yuan (18.75 million U.S. dollars).

Typhoon Kaemi has weakened but southern China continued to be lashed by heavy rains on Thursday, the Central Observatory said.

The observatory also warned of potential floods, mud-flows and other land disasters, prompted by heavy rains in the south.

The meteorological office said Kaemi carried less rain than Bilis but caused fresh damage in areas already hit by Bilis that killed 612 people and left 208 missing in southern China.

Tropical storms and typhoons frequently strike southern China during a season that lasts from early summer to late autumn.

Source: Xinhua