118 dead in China floods
By IANSWednesday, July 14, 2010
BEIJING - At least 118 people have died and 47 are missing in floods triggered by rainstorms in southern China, the civil affairs ministry said Wednesday.
Rainstorms have hit the region since July 1, Xinhua reported.
Over 32 million people in 10 southern provinces have been affected, the ministry said in a statement. About 101,000 houses were destroyed and nearly 1.1 million people had been relocated.
Economic losses were estimated at 22.2 billion yuan (about $3.3 billion).
Four million people have been affected in Anhui province, one of the worst affected areas. More than 5,100 houses collapsed and 17,700 others have been partially damaged in the province.
Leaks in dykes along the Dasha river, forced over 1,000 people to evacuate from nearby areas.
Soldiers had planned to demolish a dyke of Dasha river in Qingcao township Tuesday to prevent flooding of adjacent areas, but it was delayed after the explosives’ blasting wires snapped. They blasted the dyke Wednesday.
The soldiers also blasted a dyke of a Yangtze river tributary Wednesday.
