Asia

Home page

Asia

South China flood death toll reaches 50

10 July 2010 18:51 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. More than 50 people have been killed and 15 others are missing following floods, landslides and mud flows that hit parts of central and southern China after days of torrential rains,the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Saturday, APA reports quoting news.xinhuanet.com website.

Nearly 17.2 million residents in nine provinces were affected by flood-related disasters and 597,000 people were relocated from July 1 to 12 a.m. of July 10, the ministry said in its latest disaster relief update.

About 946,500 hectares of farmland were damaged, including 133,900 hectares that were completely destroyed. Further, more than 42,000 houses collapsed and another 121,000 were damaged, the ministry said, estimating that direct economic losses could reach 8.9 billion yuan (1.3 billion U.S. dollars).

The ministry on Saturday sent 6,000 tents to the hardest-hit Hubei Province in central China and Chongqing Municipality in southwest China.

In June, torrential rains had resulted in 260 deaths and left 211 missing in 11 southern provinces.