Heavy Rains & Flood Killed atleast 175 in southern China

Heavy rain across a swathe of southern China has caused 175 deaths, with 107 more people missing and more storms estimated, the government said Monday. According to Ministry of Civil Affair figures, Torrential downpours have triggered flash floods, inundated crops, disrupted traffic and telecommunications, forcing the evacuation of over 1 million people.

According to the Ministry of Water Resources, Thousands of houses have been destroyed and economic losses have topped 14 billion Yuan ($2.05 billion). The toll was up from 132 on Sunday. A report is posted on the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters website that Flooding has affected over 10 million residents since torrential rains began June 13. The number included people injured, stranded or who had suffered property damage.

On Saturday, the National Meteorological Centre warned of more rainstorms to come, a day after it issued an orange storm alert - just one level lower than the nation's most serious red alert. "There will be heavy rain over the next three days, and flood-control work will face enormous challenges," it said in a statement, adding that some of the rainfall in the south was up to three times more than normal.

The emergency response level was raised by the country's disaster relief departments on Saturday after more floods hit southern China and as authorities forecast more rainfall in coming days. Worst hit were the provinces and regions of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi. Over the weekend, Premier Wen Jiabao visited rescue workers and people evacuated from flooded homes in Guangxi, urging no effort be spared to tackle the disaster, Xinhua news agency said.

The areas also suffered communication breakdowns as well as electricity shortage. About 3,300 people were still trapped in the floods in Jiangxi's Yingtan city, the local government said. Approximately 40,000 passengers were stranded in Shanghai and over 20,000 people wanted ticket refunds after 30 trains were cancelled.

Major flooding hits China every year along the mighty Yangtze and other major rivers, but this year's floods have been especially heavy, spreading across 9 provinces and regions in the south and along the eastern coast. Only a few months ago, parts of the southwest were suffering from the worst drought in a century.

The flooding follows the worst drought in a century for the southern provinces and regions of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi. It left millions without drinking water and destroyed more than 12 million acres (5 million hectares) of crops.

Video of the Heavy Rain in southern China from YouTube: