China warns of ‘multiple natural disasters’ in July
BEIJING: Chinese authorities have warned of extreme weather and “multiple natural disasters” in the coming month, as heavy rain in parts of the country led to thousands being evacuated.
An alert was in place on Tuesday (Jul 4) for rain-triggered disasters in large swathes of central and southwestern China, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Meteorological authorities have warned the country will face “multiple natural disasters in July, including floods, severe convection weather, typhoons and high temperatures”, Xinhua said.
Dozens of homes and roads were damaged in northwest China’s Shaanxi province during “once-in-fifty-years” torrential rains over the weekend, the Chongqing Daily said on Monday.
Rain in the Inner Mongolia region caused flash floods on Sunday, killing one person and leaving two missing, according to state broadcaster CCTV.Â
Provincial officers also said more than 10,000 people in central Hunan province were evacuated from floods last week that damaged more than 2,000 homes.
Chinese media published footage of cars drifting down a flooded road in Hunan last week, and murky torrents gushing past apartment blocks and shops.
Since Friday, rescue workers in various parts of southern China, including the southwestern province of Guizhou, have been moving people and livestock to safety from floods and landslides, the CGTN state media outlet reported.
Intense rain lashed parts of Yunnan province over the weekend, sweeping cars down streets that looked like rivers, media reported.
Mudslides in Sichuan province, also in the southwest, killed several people last week.
Source: CNA