8 dead, 6 missing as rainstorms hit southwest China

[News_Editor]

8 dead, 6 missing as rainstorms hit southwest China

2011-07-08 07:36:13 GMT+7 (ICT)

CHENGDU, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- Chinese authorities on Thursday said that heavy rainstorms have left eight people dead and six missing in southwest China, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Sichuan's provincial flood control office informed that the continues downpours began last Monday evening, affecting more than 1.5 million residents in four cities and 21 counties within the province.

Between Monday and Wednesday, the 46 monitoring spots from 16 counties registered over 100 mm of rainfall, while precipitation at two sites surpassed 300 mm. The extreme weather has forced the evacuation of about 170,000 people and destroyed at least 10,000 houses.

In addition, approximately 50,000 hectares of farmland were flooded in Sichuan province. Several highways and roads were closed due to mudslides, the provincial flood control office said.

Also on Thursday, China's National Commission for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) deployed disaster relief and survey teams to the flood zone in Sichuan. A special work team is already assisting in the relief efforts in the municipality of Bazhong.

Last Tuesday, 18 people were killed due to a rain-triggered landslide in Sichuan's neighboring Shaanxi province while in Lueyang county, 200 people were evacuated due to a mudslide.

In late June, the Chinese government allocated an additional 175 million Yuan ($26.92 million) to help flood victims in Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and Sichuan provinces. Since the harsh weather began, 340 million Yuan ($52.5 million) has been granted for flood relief efforts.

Flooding and rainstorms in parts of China have killed more than 140 people in recent weeks, while hundreds of thousands more have been forced to evacuate. Nearly 2,000 people have also been injured as a result of the severe weather.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-07-08