Updated on
Summary
Almost 200 people have been killed in southern China by heavy rains and flooding which have battered the region over the last week, according to official figures on Tuesday. A flooded river in south China breached a dyke and threatened 145,000 residents in Jiangxi province on Tuesday, leaving rescue teams scrambling to evacuate those caught in the flood waters. State television said nobody died from the breach, but more than 40,000 residents were evacuated, and 60,000 others remained trapped. Heavy rain across much of southern China over the last week has killed at least 175 people and left 107 missing, as rivers broke their banks and landslides severed road and rail links, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Monday. The downpours have triggered flash floods, inundated crops, disrupted traffic and telecommunications, forcing the evacuation of more than 1.7 million people. Many of these displaced people live on low-lying land next to rivers that has been cleared by building dykes. When floods threaten, they are often moved to higher ground nearby. The worst hit were the provinces and regions of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi. Over the weekend, Premier Wen Jiabao visited rescue workers and people evacuated from flooded homes in Guangxi, urging no effort be spared to tackle the disaster. Only a few months ago, parts of the southwest were suffering from the worst drought in a century. More downpours are expected in the region in the coming days, posing a great challenge to disaster relief work, state media said.
