Storms, floods continue to havoc in parts of China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-23 19:31

KUNMING -- The death toll from rain, lightning, hail, floods and landslides has risen to 35 in the southwestern Yunnan Province, according to the provincial civil affairs bureau on Monday.

As of Monday at noon, nearly 1.9 million people from 14 of the total 16 cities and prefectures had been affected. Two were missing and six were injured.

The natural disasters that damaged 1,620 houses, ruined 8,200 hectares of crops and forced the evacuation of 5,440 people have inflicted losses of 575 million yuan (about 82 million US dollars), local authorities said.

In the eastern Anhui province, torrential rain during the weekend and resulting floods affected some 541,000 people and caused losses of 135 million yuan.

Continuous downpours have lashed 12 southern provincial-level regions since June 7, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan and Jiangxi. Some of these regions were hit by the heaviest rainfall in more than a century.

As Fengshen, which weakened to a tropical storm from a typhoon after killing at least 229 in Philippines, continues to head northwest, it is expected to bring more rain to southern and eastern provinces.