Floods, landslides in China: 50 dead, 15 missing

Beijing, Jul 11: Heavy rains followed by floods and landslides in China claimed the lives of at least 50 in southern China and another 15 are missing during the days of torrential rain, informed the Ministry of Civil Affairs said late on Saturday, Jul 10.

The deceased include four miners who were killed by a gas explosion after heavy rain cut off power at their pit in southwestern Guizhou province, stopping ventilation equipment.

The Ministry, through its website said that more than 17 million people across nine provinces in China have been affected by the downpours and landslides since the beginning of Jul 2010, reports a leading news channel.

Heavy rains destructed atleast 42,000 homes and hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops. Bad weather also damaged 121,000 buildings, informed the Ministry.

Around 400 people had died because of the weather-fury in Jun 2010. Storms are predicted to hit some badly affected areas again for another week and could also put extra strain on weak river banks.

OneIndia News