At least 29 dead in Jilin floods

A man walks by vehicles damaged in the rain-triggered flood in Yongji County, Jilin Province, yesterday. Authorities have found 29 people killed in the flooding and say another seven are missing.

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AT least 29 people are dead and seven missing after floods swept through northeast China's Jilin Province, disrupting the lives of more than 254,000 residents, officials said yesterday.

Overnight rainfall had reached 200mm in Yongji County by Wednesday, making it the heaviest torrential rain on record in the county.

The National Disaster Reduction Commission and the Ministry of Civil Affairs elevated the national response to the disaster from level four to three, indicating more serious flooding to come.

The disaster has caused direct economic losses of 1.36 billion yuan (US$200 million), the ministry said.

Water supplies, electricity and telecommunications have been cut in Kouqian Town. Train service was halted after Kouqian Train Station was surrounded by floodwaters.

The flooding even swept two freight carriages 50 meters from where they were parked, the official said.

The provincial government has allocated 4.8 million yuan for rescue and relief work after rainstorms over the past two days forced the evacuations of more than 254,000 people in the province.

Jilin is the latest province to be hit by fatal floods that have left 928 people dead and 477 missing as of 9am on Wednesday, authorities said.

Rainstorms have lashed a dozen provinces this summer, including Hubei, Liaoning, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Henan, Jilin, and Anhui, triggering floods and landslides.

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