Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at
least 26 people and left 17 missing in southwest China's Sichuan Province since Monday night, the local
government said on Saturday.
The disaster has affected 8.19 million people in 43 cites and
counties across the province, it said.
Over the past week, more than 44 reported rainfall volume
exceeding 100 millimeters, with Nanjiang County the highest at 542
millimeters.
In Guang'an, a city in eastern Sichuan, the rain volume topped
200 millimeters, swelled local rivers and caused flooding of urban
area.
In Quxian County, two-third of its districts were flooded,
cutting water, electricity and gas supply for 183,000 downtown
households.
So far, 320,000 people in the flood-hit areas have been
evacuated to safe places and the rescue and relief work are still
underway.
The flood also destroyed 20,000 houses and 3.6 million mu
(240,000 hectares) crop land. Meanwhile, traffic was cut on 76
highways and 441 km of electricity supply lines were damaged.
The total economic loss is estimated at three billion yuan
(US$395 million).
The provincial meteorological bureau has forecast further
rainstorms in the next week in Bazhong, Guang'an and five other
cities in eastern Sichuan as well as some areas on the western
plateau.
The neighboring Chongqing Municipality has also suffered from
heavy rain since Wednesday. The municipal meteorological bureau
warned the public to be aware of flood, landslide and mud-rock flow
risks.
Meanwhile, forecasters have warned that the upper reaches of the
Huaihe River, which runs through east China, had reached critical
levels.
So far, floods in south, east and central China had caused more
than 200 deaths and destroyed over 110,000 houses while droughts in
the north had left at least 7.4 million people short of drinking
water, according to the flood and drought prevention
authorities.
(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2007)
