BEIJING: The death toll from devastating floods at opposite ends of China following torrential rains and the aftermath of a typhoon has risen to more than 130, the government and media said Tuesday. Flooding in the northeast, which has been described as the worst there in decades, has killed 85 people and left 102 missing in recent days, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Another 49 people, meanwhile, have perished in Hunan, central China, and in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, the ministry of civil affairs announced. The flooding has destroyed homes and sent rivers of mud flowing into city streets. Desperate residents scrambled to escape the rising waters, using makeshift rafts and any implements they could find -- including inflatable paddling pools -- to flee. Many had to climb trees to avoid being swept away, pictures showed. President Xi Jinping "has demanded all-out efforts in putting people's lives first", Xinhua reported Monday.
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
China flooding toll rises above 130
BEIJING: The death toll from devastating floods at opposite ends of China following torrential rains and the aftermath of a typhoon has risen to more than 130, the government and media said Tuesday. Flooding in the northeast, which has been described as the worst there in decades, has killed 85 people and left 102 missing in recent days, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Another 49 people, meanwhile, have perished in Hunan, central China, and in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, the ministry of civil affairs announced. The flooding has destroyed homes and sent rivers of mud flowing into city streets. Desperate residents scrambled to escape the rising waters, using makeshift rafts and any implements they could find -- including inflatable paddling pools -- to flee. Many had to climb trees to avoid being swept away, pictures showed. President Xi Jinping "has demanded all-out efforts in putting people's lives first", Xinhua reported Monday.