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Floods in Shaanxi kill 73; 121 still missing

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-07-23 19:26

A two-story house is buried by mud in a flood-caused landslide in a village in Ankang, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, July 23, 2010. Days of torrential rains hit the Qiyan village and 29 local residents were missing after a landslide on Friday. [Photo/Xinhua]

XI'AN - Rain-triggered floods and landslides in southern parts of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province had left at least 73 people dead and 121 missing as of Friday noon, the provincial government said.

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About 213,000 residents from 24 counties and districts in the cities of Hanzhong, Ankang and Shangluo have been evacuated because of the rains since July 14, according to a provincial government statement.

More than 60,000 houses have been destroyed or damaged and 106,700 hectares of farmland have been affected, the statement said.

Direct economic losses totaled 2.9 billion yuan (US$427,852 million).

Another round of rainstorms began hitting southern Shaanxi's Hanjiang area Thursday. Between 20 to 80 mm of rain has fallen in the area, and the rainstorms were ongoing as of Friday afternoon.

Floods in China this year had left 742 people dead and 367 missing as of 9:00 am Friday, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said.

A man spray disinfectant after a flood-caused landslide in a village in Ankang, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, July 23, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]