CHN: Torrential rain in China leaves 15 dead: state media
Sun Jul 5 21:05:09 EST 2009
BEIJING, July 5 AFP - At least 15 people have died and over 400,000 had to be evacuated in China after torrential rain destroyed houses and caused rivers to overflow, state media says.
The fatalities occurred over several days of relentless heavy rain in the centre and south of the country, also leaving another five people missing, according to reports from state Xinhua news agency on Sunday.
Water levels of some rivers in Guangxi region were the highest since 1998, when downpours led to the worst flooding in over 100 years and resulted in more than 3,600 deaths nationwide, China Central Television said on Saturday.
More than 140,000 people had been relocated in Guangxi alone in the last week, with 300 pupils trapped in one school, Xinhua reported.
The heavy downpours also inundated crops, cut power and damaged roads across several provinces.
South and central China are prone to major flooding during the annual summer rainy season.
According to a report issued Wednesday by the state flood headquarters, 95 people have been killed and 21 people went missing in flooding throughout China in the first six months of the year.
