29 killed as heavy rains lash China’s Shanxi province

A man makes his way along a flooded area after heavy rainfall in Jiexiu in the city of Jinzhongin Shanxi Province on Monday. Pic/AFP

At least 29 people were killed, including 14 in a bus accident, as relentless rains triggered massive flooding in north China, authorities said on Tuesday. At least 15 people have been killed and three others went missing in continuous rainstorms that hit Shanxi Province, which also displaced over 1.20 lakh people, local government said on Tuesday.

From October 2 to 7, Shanxi experienced the strongest autumn flood on record. Continuous rainfall has affected nearly 1.76 million residents in 76 county-level regions across the province, and 120,100 people have been relocated. About 238,460 hectares of crops have been damaged and 37,700 houses collapsed or seriously damaged, causing direct economic losses to the tune of 5.03 billion yuan (USD 780 million), state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The largely arid province, Shanxi, has reported more than five times its usual rainfall since the start of the month, resulting in the destruction of dams and rail lines, reports said. Shanxi, a major coal producer, has also shut 60 coal mines, adding to concerns over supplies of the fuel as China struggles with power cuts. Till Monday, the rain had caused the suspension of 530 high-voltage lines of 10 kV and above, and 332,700 households lost power, reports said.

Storm leaves 11 dead in Philippines

A tropical storm set off landslides and flash floods as it barreled over the tip of the northern Philippines, leaving at least 11 people dead and seven missing, officials said Tuesday. More than 6,500 villagers were evacuated from homes in several towns.

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