Lethal rain hits south, and capital feels fallout

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-6-14  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

AT least 12 people died and millions were affected as torrential rain lashed south China over the previous two days, authorities said yesterday.

The rain destroyed more than 10,000 houses, disrupted traffic and caused landslides in the provinces of Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei and Anhui, as well as the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The falls exceeded 300 millimeters in several counties and 250mm in more than 20 counties during the past two days in Guangxi and Hunan.

Five people were killed in landslides and house collapses in Guangxi. More than 1.58 million were affected as of yesterday morning.

About 40 trains were delayed yesterday due to rain in Guangxi. Trains had to go slowly along major sections in Liuzhou, Guilin and Hechi.

Parts of regional No. 202 and No. 318 highways were blocked by landslides, causing a loss of more than 25 million yuan (US$3.6 million).

Water traffic on the Lijiang River in Guilin City had to be suspended because of a lengthy downpour.

The water level at the Wuzhou section of the Xijiang River surpassed the danger level of 18.5 meters yesterday morning, and the level continued to rise by 0.1m per hour.

In neighboring Hunan, more than 50,000 people were evacuated in Yongzhou City as rain hit many counties. Jianghua County, where water depths reached 5m, began an emergency response yesterday.

Flood-prevention measures were undertaken in cities along the Xiangjiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze, as its level will surpass the danger level in coming days.

Losses in Anhui were estimated at nearly 1 billion yuan as rain affected 930,000-plus people and more than 70,000 hectares of crops. The provincial government started to send tents to the most seriously hit counties of Xiuning and Shexian.

In Jiangxi, a rain-triggered landslide killed a woman in Shangyou County. Rainstorms hit 61 counties in the province, with Chongyi County Hydrological Station recording the largest 24-hour total of 191mm.

A storm in the southern city of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, killed six yesterday as bad weather continued to rage in the region. Four died after their houses collapsed and a couple selling fruit were electrocuted.

The rain disrupted traffic, delayed airlines and caused landslides in the city.

Storms are expected to hit quake-battered Sichuan Province from early this morning, according to the provincial meteorological bureau.

Heavy rain also hit Beijing yesterday and caused floods and traffic jams in many areas. Vehicles backed up streets soon after the storms started about 5:40pm.

The maximum recorded in the area was an amazing 74mm in under two hours in southwest Fengtai District.

Authorities said downtown areas of Beijing suffered heavy traffic congestion.

Hail also fell briefly on parts of northern Beijing.

Some flights were cancelled at Beijing Capital International Airport.

In some areas, pools of rain on the roads were knee-high. Many people had to take off their shoes to walk home.