15 killed in China storms
Afp, Beijing
Torrential rains in southwest China have triggered flash floods and landslides, leaving 15 people dead and two missing, the government reported Tuesday. Of the 15 dead in Sichuan province, 10 were killed in Dazhou city since rains began Saturday, the civil affairs ministry said on its website. The continuous downpours blocked roads and cut off telecommunications and electricity, it said. About 127,000 people have been relocated in the region, as floods and landslides caused up to 326 million yuan (42 million dollars) in direct economic losses, it added. Despite the damage, the state flood control headquarters said the heavy rains had actually greatly alleviated drought conditions that have plagued the area since early last year. On Saturday, the flood headquarters said that 128 people had died due to torrential rains, floods and landslides in China this year, with another 24 listed as missing. The flooding has inflicted 8.92 billion yuan in direct economic damages, it said. Most of the damages occurred in the first two weeks of June, when southern China was drenched in rainstorms. Last year, China witnessed some of the worst flooding in years, when nearly 3,000 people were reported killed or went missing in the annual deluges that strike the nation's rural areas.
| 
