Death toll in China's floods rises to 403
(Xinhua) Updated: 2007-07-13 08:37
A total of 403 Chinese have died, 105 are missing and 3.17 million people
have been relocated as the rainy season coupled with ferocious flood waters
continues to batter central and southern China. Millions of people
strung across 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have been
lashed by torrential rains and floods. More than 5.5 million hectares
of grain crops have been damaged while 30,000 houses are partially or wholly
destroyed. Economic losses had risen to 31.9 billion yuan by Thursday
(about US$4.25 billion). The damages to hydrological projects amounted to nearly
five billion yuan (about US$667 million) or 15 percent of the total.
Cheng Dianlong, deputy director of the State Flood Control and Drought
Relief Headquarters, said that the water levels of the trunk Huaihe River are
still above warning marks, with Wujiadu registering a water level of 20.86
meters and Jiangjiaba as much as 13.85 meters. Seven flood buffer
zones have been used to reduce flood peaks in the middle reaches of the Huaihe
River, he said. A total of 511,200 people including civilians, armed
forces and reserve military personnel in Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces
along the river have been mobilized to patrol river banks and water dams.
More relief materials including 80 rubber boats, 40,000 square meters
of water-proof fabric, 6,000 life jackets and 100,000 knitted sacks have been
sent to the flood-hit provinces. The three provinces have suffered a
direct economic loss of 8.4 billion yuan (about US$1.12 billion), more than a
quarter of the country's total. The China Meteorological Station
forecast Thursday heavy rain for the next three days in the Huaihe River valley
and the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River.
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