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132 dead in China flash floods

2010-06-19 269 Dailymotion


In one week floods across southern China have killed at least 132 people and left 86 missing, according to Chinese state media.


Torrential downpours triggered flash floods, inundated crops, disrupted traffic and telecommunications, forcing the evacuation of 862,000 people, said a Ministry of Civil Affairs statement.


A landslide killed 12 people in the village of Gaosha on the outskirts of Sanming on Friday, CCTV reported.


China's disaster relief departments raised the emergency response level on Saturday after more floods hit south China and as authorities forecast more rain to fall in coming days.


The economic damage has so far been estimated at more than 14 billion yuan (about $2.1 billion).


Only a few months ago, parts of the southwest were suffering from the worst drought in a century.