Deadly Floods, Landslides Affect 3.7 Million People in S. China

Dozens dead or missing, 200,000 displaced in southern China floods three days

Floods, landslides and mudslides have left dozens of people dead or missing and at least 197,000 others displaced in southern China since Saturday, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

According to the Ministry, by 9 a.m. Monday, about 3.7 million people in seven provinces, including Hubei and Sichuan, and Chongqing Municipality, had been affected by the disasters.

Extreme weather events has destroyed thousands of homes and 20,900 hectares of crops, with the direct economic losses estimated at about US$407.9 million, the officials said.

In northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, at least 13,000 people were displaced after torrential rains battered region , the report said.

’14 dead in floods, hailstorms across 3 Chinese provinces’

“Floods and landslides have caused 13 deaths in southwest China’s Guizhou Province and central China’s Hunan Province while a hailstorm had killed one in northern Shanxi Province as of Thursday morning, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.

“Guizhou has reported nine fatalities and nine missing with about 65,600 people evacuated, due to heavy rainfall and landslides this month, said the ministry in a statement.

“Hunan has confirmed that four people have died, six remain missing and 157,000 people have been evacuated, while Shanxi reported one death and one missing, the statement said.