Mud and rock flows and flooding caused by relentless downpours
over the past few days have claimed eight lives and left five
people missing in Shangluo City of northwest China's?Shaanxi
Province, local government sources said yesterday.
The rainstorms caused flooding in nine local reservoirs,
destroyed 112 bridges and tunnels and 2,875 kilometers of highways,
according to the city's flood control department, and damaged 24
kilometers of electricity lines and five kilometers of
telecommunications lines, cutting off traffic, power and
communications to 22 towns in the city's jurisdiction.
Landslides and mud and rock flows were caused at 727 sites and
threatened the safety of 20,000 people and their property. Also
seriously damaged were 22,678 hectares of crops, and buildings in
135 primary and middle schools, according to the flood control
department.
Rainstorm-caused disasters affected 880,000 people in 160 towns
of the city, where 6,959 houses were flattened and more than 30,000
people evacuated to safe places.
Economic losses were estimated by the local government to be 340
million yuan (US$42 million).
(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2005)