Society

11 die, 2 missing amid new round of rains in SW China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-24 06:43

CHENGDU/GUIYANG - A new round of downpours that has battered Southwest China has left 11 dead and two others missing, local flood control authorities said Thursday.

Six people died and two others are missing in Sichuan province, as torrential rains starting from Monday have pounded most parts of the province, said the Flood Control Office of Sichuan province.

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In Guizhou province, a heavy rain on Wednesday night hit 16 counties, leading to five deaths and the evacuation of 7,200 residents, said the provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

More than 100 houses collapsed and some 316,000 mu (21,067 hectares) of farmlands were submerged as a result of the rain, which resulted in direct economic losses of 65 million yuan ($10 million), according to estimates from the headquarters.

Most of the victims died as their houses were buried by rain-triggered landslides.

Persistent downpours have wreaked havoc in southern China since June 3, leaving at least 175 dead and 86 missing and forcing nearly 1.64 million people to evacuate, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) said on Monday.

As of Wednesday, the central government has earmarked 340 million yuan for flood relief efforts.