Four people were killed in the past two days by a storm that has been ravaging parts of Shaanxi Province in northwest China, said local sources.

One of the four victims, a 52-year-old villager surnamed Zhou from Jianmin Township of Hanbin District, Ankang City, was killed when he was using an open-air toilet and was struck by lightning. Lightning also knocked down a large tree near the toilet, according to the sources.

Three others drowned in ponds of accumulated rainwater from thestorm.

A local meteorological observatory predicted that rainy weatherwould stay in this northwest Chinese province until July 20 and warned of possible floods caused by the sudden rainfall, especially in urban areas.