LANZHOU - The death toll has climbed to 10 and 19 people remained missing after hail and torrential rains pounded a county in Northwest China's Gansu province on Thursday, local authorities said early Friday.

The stormy weather lasted only an hour from 5 pm to 6 pm, but wreaked havoc in Minxian County of Dingxi City, the county's civil affairs bureau said.

As of midnight, 10 people were confirmed dead and five were hospitalized with serious injuries. Nineteen were reported missing, it said.

A total of 1,903 people were evacuated following the storm for safety considerations, the document said.

Hail and torrential rains disrupted power supplies and telecommunications networks, damaged 3,900 hectares of cropland and destroyed a highway.

The provincial government sent a work team to Minxian county overnight to oversee rescue and relief work.