Death toll of S. China floods rises to 175
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Persistent rain and floods in 10 regions of south China had left 175 dead and 107 missing by Monday, according to the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (OSFCDRH) and the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The floods, the worst for 50 years in some regions, have affected 25.15 million people and 1.36 million hectares of farmland. They have caused the collapse of 144,000 houses and the evacuation of 1.71 million people.
Economic losses have reached 29.7 billion yuan (4.37 billion U.S. dollars).
According to OSFCDRH, water levels in Poyang and Dongting lakes continue to rise, but are still below danger levels. However, all 26 rivers in Jiangxi Province have passed the danger level.
Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei has asked local authorities to closely monitor the situation.
China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) Monday lowered its rainstorm alert from orange to blue, the lowest level, for the country's southern regions as the storms weaken.
The orange alert means that in the last three hours, the precipitation reached 50 mm and the rain could continue, while the blue alert means that in the last 12 hours, the precipitation reached 50 mm and the rain could continue.
Torrential rains will pound northern parts of Fujian Province Monday and Tuesday, the NMC forecast.
The worst-hit provinces and regions were Jiangxi, Fujian, Hunan and Guangxi.
More than 900,000 people had been affected by the rains in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region since Saturday and one person was dead.
About 800 villagers were evacuated from Li'ao Village, Nandan County in Guangxi, after being trapped for three days. The continuous torrential rain since Thursday caused floods and landslides.
"We are not that afraid and nervous now because the daily necessities are available," said a resident of the village.
The severe floods in east China's Jiangxi Province are worse than those of 1998, according to the local provincial flood control and drought relief department.
As of 8 p.m. Sunday, almost 5 million people and 364,000 hectares of crops had been affected. The flood had left three dead, seven missing and 180,000 trapped.
In central China's Hunan Province, 10 villages and towns in Suining County had become "isolated islands," where transport and telecommunications had been cut by rains.
Rescue teams had been sent by the local government to the flood-hit areas and more than 6,800 trapped residents had been rescued. Another 80,000 people were evacuated safely.
Another 1,000 people, including 300 students, who had been trapped in Heyuan City, Guangdong Province, were rescued late Monday, local authorities said.
More than 75,000 people had been affected and more than 7,000 homes had been destroyed in two counties in Heyuan City.
