New flooding in southern China kills another 7, thousands evacuated

[News_Editor]

New flooding in southern China kills another 7, thousands evacuated

2011-06-15 21:58:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

BEIJING, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- New torrential rains and flooding in the southern region of China has left seven more people killed and seven others missing, officials said on Wednesday, raising the overall death toll to at least 112.

China's Civil Affairs Ministry said the fatalities are the result of heavy rainfall in the last three days, which has affected tens of thousands of people in six provinces, including Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and Guizhou.

The ministry said it had ordered around 88,000 people from a number of areas in those provinces to evacuate by 11 a.m. local time on Wednesday. According to the Jiangxi Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, over 70,000 people had already evacuated as rains destroyed around 1,320 houses.

In the town of Qiandaohu, a landslide buried several warehouses, leaving one person trapped who was rescued after several hours. In Dexing, some 5,200 people are waiting for emergency teams to help them evacuate the flooded area.

However, weather forecasts are saying further rainfall exceeding 50 millimeters (1.9 inch) is expected in the provincial capital of Nanchang, Shangrao city and Jingdezhen city. This could lead to additional flooding in some areas which have already been hit hard in recent weeks.

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