Flood in China: 52 killed; 32 missing

Beijing, June 9: At least 52 people were killed and 32 went missing in flash floods triggered by heavy rains in parts of China, which also forced evacuation of over a lakh people from southwestern Guizhou province.

The floods inundated vast areas in 12 provinces in central and southern China over the past week, affecting 40.8 lakh people, Shu Qingpeng, deputy head of the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, told the media today.

The floods, which have so far left 52 people dead and 32 missing, also destroyed 7,462 houses and submerged 255,000 hectares of farmland, incurring direct economic loss of USD 760 million, he said.

Persistent downpours have also wreaked havoc in southwest China's Guizhou province since June 3, forcing over 100,000 people to evacuate, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Heavy rainfalls have drenched the previously parched lower and middle parts of the Yangtze River basin, increasing water to alert levels in the provinces of Jiangxi, Hunan and Guizhou.

Wangmo County in Qianxinan Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou recorded maximum one-hour precipitation of 122.5 millimetres, the most in 200 years, Shu said.

He asked local authorities to monitor closely the rainfall and water levels and step up prevention against floods as more downpours are expected to hit many parts of China from June 9 to 12.

PTI