50 dead, 40 missing in China floods
Baku, June 11 (AZERTAC). A new round of lethal floods and ensuing landslides have left at least 50 dead and 40 others missing in some of the major agricultural provinces in southern China, turning fears of month-long drought into record-breaking inundation and bringing this summer`s flood casualties to at least 94.
At least 23 died and 10 were missing in the worst-hit Xianning, Hubei province, a spokesman with the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said on Friday.
"Most of the deaths and injuries were caused by collapsing buildings after floods destroyed embankments, and 60,000 residents in Xianning`s submerged Tongcheng county have been relocated to safe places by late Friday," an official surnamed Zhang from the local flood control and drought relief office said.
Zhang also said torrential rains have affected about 680,000 residents in the province, toppled 6,744 homes and inundated 639 square kilometers of farmlands.
The direct economic loss could reach 610 million yuan (S$115.9 million), he added.
About 1,500 soldiers and six military boats have participated in the rescue.
Continuous rainfalls had pounded Tongcheng beginning late Thursday, topping a 200-year record of 300 millimeters of rain in four hours and inundating the entire county, before the waters retreated late Friday.
In suburban Tongcheng, local villagers were building earth-filled dams with shovels in preparation for forecast rains.
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