Heavy rains kill 6 in China

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least six people were killed on Thursday as heavy rains battered parts of China, state media reported.

The casualties were reported in southwestern Chongqing Municipality, following unprecedented rains in the region. Two of the deceased drowned, while four others died from geological disasters triggered by the heavy rainfall.

The region also experienced severe rainstorms in Dianjiang County starting Wednesday night.

Local authorities issued alerts for 15 rivers due to the heavy downpour.

Several regions across China’s 34 administrative divisions have experienced heavy rainfall in recent weeks, resulting in nearly 70 casualties. The rains, floods, and landslides have damaged roads and properties extensively.

Over 130 people, including tourists, were stranded on Wednesday in the southern Tibet region, also known as Xizang, along the border with Nepal, after rains triggered landslides that washed away roads.

In the mountainous southern Hunan province, it took authorities four days, until Monday night, to plug breaches in the country’s second-largest freshwater body, Dongting Lake, in Huarong County. Around 7,000 people were displaced due to flooding caused by the gushing waters of the lake.

China’s finance ministry has released approximately $187 million in emergency funds since late June to meet the needs of people affected by the severe weather.