Home International China flood, landslide toll hits 76 as government assesses damage

China flood, landslide toll hits 76 as government assesses damage

By DPA,

Beijing : Weekend flooding and landslides in China have killed 76 people, damaged tens of thousands of houses and destroyed hundreds of hectares of crops.

More than 45,000 houses have collapsed and another 140,000 have been damaged, the English-language China Daily newspaper reported Monday, citing the government.

Economic losses have surpassed 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) , and crops on 900,000 hectares have been destroyed, the Civil Affairs Ministry said.

About 18 million people in nine provinces and regions in the south have been affected, and 1.4 million have had to evacuate.

The danger is not over as heavy rains were expected to continue this week, and the rising Beijiang and Xijiang rivers in the southern province of Guangdong were expected to converge Monday in the city of Foshan.

The government said 57 people have died in flooding and storms over the past 10 days in southern China while 19 workers died in a landslide in the northern province of Shanxi.