Death toll rises to 30 after floods
Source: Xinhua |
June 3, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
The death toll from rain-triggered landslides has risen to 30 in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after 10 more bodies were recovered.
Rescuers were still searching for 18 people buried by the landslides, officials said yesterday at a regional teleconference in hard-hit Cenxi City.
Heavy rain began pounding Guangxi on Monday, causing landslides early yesterday that left 12 people dead in Cenxi and 15 killed in Rongxian County.
The other three deceased were in Tengxian County, Donglan County and Fangchenggang City.
Senior local officials, including regional Communist Party chief Guo Shengkun, have arrived in flooded regions to coordinate rescue efforts.
By 6pm yesterday, rainstorms had hit 27 county-level regions, forcing the evacuation of 79,600 people and causing direct economic losses of more than 700 million yuan (US$102.5 million).
Flooding destroyed 4,226 houses and 117,280 hectares of crops, according to the regional civil affairs bureau.
Two children were missing and about 700 trapped after schools were flooded, the local government said yesterday.
The missing students were from Xingbin District in Laibin City.
In Xincheng County, about 700 students and staffers in Beigeng Middle School were trapped by floods.
"Water flooded the campus ... now students are having classes and sleeping in school buildings and dormitories on higher ground," said Qin Shuhai, the school principal.
Flood water 1.5 meters deep has submerged the first floor of a four-story building of the school.
Qin said the rain had cut power and water supplies to Beigeng Township. Bottled water and food in the school could accommodate the trapped students and staff members for two more days.
"Vegetables have been sold out in our town. We will be short of rice, vegetables and water if floods continue," he said.
Xie Dayan, the county head, said Beigeng was the worst-hit town in Xincheng. Rescuers had been using lifeboats to transfer people and would use them to send water and food to those trapped today, Xie said.
In Laibin City, 65 schools were flooded. At the city's Experimental High School, 1,050 students and teachers were stranded for hours before they were evacuated by the fire service on Tuesday.
"I woke up at 3am and saw the room was flooded," said Wei Yanting, a girl who sleeps in a first-floor dormitory. "We all climbed onto the top-bunk beds and sat there watching the water cover the lower ones."
Firemen evacuated the students with small boats in the waist-deep water.
Water in Laibin's city center was still knee-deep yesterday, and flooded vehicles were seen on every street.
City authorities said it would take another day to drain the water.
The China National Committee for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs initiated an emergency response plan yesterday and sent a team to help guide relief work.
Rescuers were still searching for 18 people buried by the landslides, officials said yesterday at a regional teleconference in hard-hit Cenxi City.
Heavy rain began pounding Guangxi on Monday, causing landslides early yesterday that left 12 people dead in Cenxi and 15 killed in Rongxian County.
The other three deceased were in Tengxian County, Donglan County and Fangchenggang City.
Senior local officials, including regional Communist Party chief Guo Shengkun, have arrived in flooded regions to coordinate rescue efforts.
By 6pm yesterday, rainstorms had hit 27 county-level regions, forcing the evacuation of 79,600 people and causing direct economic losses of more than 700 million yuan (US$102.5 million).
Flooding destroyed 4,226 houses and 117,280 hectares of crops, according to the regional civil affairs bureau.
Two children were missing and about 700 trapped after schools were flooded, the local government said yesterday.
The missing students were from Xingbin District in Laibin City.
In Xincheng County, about 700 students and staffers in Beigeng Middle School were trapped by floods.
"Water flooded the campus ... now students are having classes and sleeping in school buildings and dormitories on higher ground," said Qin Shuhai, the school principal.
Flood water 1.5 meters deep has submerged the first floor of a four-story building of the school.
Qin said the rain had cut power and water supplies to Beigeng Township. Bottled water and food in the school could accommodate the trapped students and staff members for two more days.
"Vegetables have been sold out in our town. We will be short of rice, vegetables and water if floods continue," he said.
Xie Dayan, the county head, said Beigeng was the worst-hit town in Xincheng. Rescuers had been using lifeboats to transfer people and would use them to send water and food to those trapped today, Xie said.
In Laibin City, 65 schools were flooded. At the city's Experimental High School, 1,050 students and teachers were stranded for hours before they were evacuated by the fire service on Tuesday.
"I woke up at 3am and saw the room was flooded," said Wei Yanting, a girl who sleeps in a first-floor dormitory. "We all climbed onto the top-bunk beds and sat there watching the water cover the lower ones."
Firemen evacuated the students with small boats in the waist-deep water.
Water in Laibin's city center was still knee-deep yesterday, and flooded vehicles were seen on every street.
City authorities said it would take another day to drain the water.
The China National Committee for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs initiated an emergency response plan yesterday and sent a team to help guide relief work.
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